🎯 Why This Matters
To describe feelings and characteristics accurately.
Correct use of participial adjectives.
🇪🇸 The Challenge
Present vs Past participle confusion. BORING vs BORED, INTERESTING vs INTERESTED - learners mix them up because Spanish uses different structures.
🇲🇽🇨🇴🇦🇷 The -ED/-ING swap
Problem: Spanish uses ser/estar + adjective differently
Watch out: Saying 'I'm boring' when you mean 'I'm bored'
✅ Fix: People FEEL -ED. Things CAUSE -ING.
🧠 Mental Note: Before using -ING for yourself, ask: Am I the cause? If not, use -ED!
🇪🇸 Same confusion risk
Problem: Spanish doesn't have this exact -ed/-ing distinction
Watch out: The same words can describe both in Spanish
✅ Fix: English splits it: -ED (how you feel) vs -ING (what causes it)
🧠 Visual Explanation (The Mental Fix)
Cause vs Effect
-ING = it's causing something. -ED = feeling the effect.
🗣️ Pronunciation Guide
How Spanish speakers should pronounce this structure:
-ED pronunciation
Spanish Habit: Always pronouncing -ed as /ed/
English Reality: Three sounds: /t/, /d/, /ɪd/
Examples:
- bored → /bɔːrd/ (-ed = /d/ after vowels)
- tired → /ˈtaɪərd/
- interested → /ˈɪntrəstɪd/ (-ed = /ɪd/ after t/d)
Practice: Only pronounce the 'ed' as a syllable after /t/ or /d/ sounds
📖 How It Works
Teacher Recommendation: Self-study friendly
Time Investment: 4 hours
🔑 Signal Words (Memory Anchors)
These words/phrases appear with this structure:
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ing adjectives | adjetivos causa | boring, interesting, exciting, tiring, confusing |
| -ed adjectives | adjetivos efecto | bored, interested, excited, tired, confused |
| past participle in perfect | participio en perfecto | I have EATEN, she has GONE, they have DONE |
| present participle in continuous | gerundio en continuo | I am EATING, she is GOING, they are DOING |
💬 Real Examples
Let's see this structure in action with correct vs incorrect usage:
Example 1: Boring vs Bored
✅ CORRECT: "The movie is boring. I am bored."
🇪🇸 Translation: "La película es aburrida. Estoy aburrido."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I am boring. (means YOU cause boredom!)"
Why wrong? 'I am boring' = I make others feel bored. 'I am bored' = I feel boredom.
Example 2: Interesting vs Interested
✅ CORRECT: "This book is interesting. I'm interested in history."
🇪🇸 Translation: "Este libro es interesante. Me interesa la historia."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I'm interesting in history."
Why wrong? 'Interesting' describes the book (cause). 'Interested' describes you (feeling).
Example 3: Tired vs Tiring
✅ CORRECT: "The work is tiring. I'm tired."
🇪🇸 Translation: "El trabajo es agotador. Estoy cansado."
❌ COMMON MISTAKE: "I am tiring."
Why wrong? 'I am tiring' means you exhaust other people!
✏️ Practice Exercises
Ready to test your understanding? Let's practice!