Today we’ll be talking about past participles of regular verbs. These are forms that we use to construct compound tenses for example.
Forms of Past Participles
Past participles of regular verbs are formed by means of endings. There’s one ending for the –ar verbs (so verbs whose infinitives end in –ar) and another for the –er and –ir verbs:
| -ar verbs | hablar | hablado | spoken |
| -er verbs | comer | comido | eaten |
| -ir verbs | vivir | vivido | lived |
Past Participles Used As Adjectives
Past participles may be used as adjectives. If this is the case, they must agree with the noun, which means they must be the same number and gender. Have a look at the examples:
| herir (e:ie:i) – to wound | |
| un muchacho herido | a wounded boy |
| una muchacha herida | a wounded girl |
| muchachos heridos | wounded boys |
| muchachas heridas | wounded girls |
| matar – to kill | |
| un hombre matado por un tigre | a man killed by a tiger |
| una mujer matada por un tigre | a woman killed by a tiger |
| hombres matados por un tigre | men killed by a tiger |
| mujeres matadas por un tigre | women killed by a tiger |
Results of an Action
Past participles may express the result of an action. Then we use the verb estar:
| La puerta está cerrada. The door is closed. |
| Las lavadoras están arregladas. The washing machines are fixed. |
| El trabajo está terminado. The work is finished. |