Adjectives ending in "ed" and "ing".
I belong to a Learn English site for Spanish speakers. I sometime, as in this case, find it more informative to hear English grammar explained in Spanish than Spanish grammar explained in English. This lesson is on adjectives ending in "ed" and "ing". I understand the differences in English of course, but noticed a difference in Spanish that I hadn't noticed before. Here is the lesson:
1) all of the "ing" adjectives use Ser and adjective forms of the word (save one)
2) all of the "ed" adjectives use Estar and the past participle of the verb as an adjective
I understand the differences of why Estar and Ser are used as described in the lesson.
My question is about the very first example.
Susan's job is boring.
El trabajo de Susan is aburrido. (Ser is used with the past participle rather than aburridor. All other examples with Ser use aburridor and not the p.p.)
Is this allowed in Spanish? Can the past participle adjective be used for "ing" adjectives? Was it just a coincidence here that they only used a past participle for an "ing" adjective once, or was the first example incorrect?
8 Answers
HI quentin, aburridoR is a typo, it does not exist.
I teach students of English the same pattern:
ed = estar
ing = ser
Estoy aburrida , I am bored.
Soy aburrida, I am boring.
I don't know how useful you will find this site. They offer free audio/written lessons in English. I have no interest in them. I never download them. They publish a free newsletter (you get it by email) that links to the lessons and contain explanations of the grammar involved in the lessons. There are also sample sentences taken from the lesson to explain the grammar and a list of the vocabulary involved in the lessons. All of these have the Spanish counterpart provided which is all that I pay attention to. All of the instructions, explanations, etc. are in Spanish so that is interesting to read. Take what Spanish you can from the site and forget the English lessons themselves. (unless your English grammar could use a little polishing). 
Here is a link to the site if you are interested
Heidita:
I understood the ser=ing and estar=ed. That wasn't what confused me. It was the estar + pp (always) and never Ser + pp (except once) that confused me. Ser was always used with an adjective, but only once with a pp adjective. If you say that soy aburrida (ser + pp) is correct, then that answers my question. Whether it means ed or ing is irrelevant to my question. It must have just been a coincidence that they were not using Ser+pp.
Their examples:
| aburrida | aburrida |
| aburridor | aburrida |
| agotador | agotado |
| satisfactorio | satisfecho |
| interesante | interesado |
| sorpredente | sorprendido |
| decepcionante | decepcionado |
I seem to be having a hard time expressing my point. I was only questioning if the past particle can be used with Ser as an adjective. They only showed one occurrence of it being used that way.
Let's try a different article:
Notice in this article that it says the past participle can be used as an adjective. Also notice, however, that it is always used with Estar in that context.
Ser+past participle=passive voice.
Soy aburrido. Is not passive voice. Try using an agent with it. Soy aburrido por... Now we're back to "I am bored by" and we've established that bor "ed" is used with Estar, not Ser.
I'm not seeing any support for saying "soy aburrido" as" I am boring". It's beginning to seem that "soy aburridor" is correct.
aburridor, ra.
- adj. Que aburre.
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I'm sorry that I ever brought it up. Delete the ^&**(^% thread.
As a response (not necessarily an answer...more like a musing), I'm thinking that many past participles might be bona fide adjectives as well -- of which, aburrido is one.
The page of most interest, I think is the grammar index page.
Of course, it becomes more difficult when the adjectives precede/follow the nouns (instead of being on the other side of ser / estar).
The bored girl sighed heavily. La niña aburrida...
A boring person will have trouble making friends. Una persona ??? (No sé).
Love the idea about reading English grammar explained in Spanish (to help learn Spanish, I assume). I am also interested in the site, Q.
I think it works, as I have used it in this way before, but then most of my Mexican friends tell me that things are correct even if they aren't exactly kosher so that doesn't say much, however, I am very interested in more information as to the site that you are a member of because I find this information quite awesome. Can you email me the link if you are unwilling or unable to post it here? Gracias.
