Which one should you use?
While ¿estás aburrido? asks if someone is bored, ¿Te aburres? is an informal way to ask if someone is currently getting bored. If you are addressing a group of people informally, you can use ¿Están aburridos/as? to ask "Are you all bored?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree with the gender of the person you are addressing. Use aburrido when addressing a male and aburrida when addressing a female. In the specific phrase ¿Te encuentras aburrido/a?, the word encuentras can be replaced with sientes to mean "to feel".
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Eres aburrido, as this does not mean "Are you bored?" Instead, Eres aburrido means "You are a boring person", describing a permanent personality trait rather than a temporary feeling.
Did you know?
- While aburrido means 'bored', in some Latin American countries it can also be used to describe someone who is 'annoying' or 'tiresome'.
- In colloquial Spanish, if someone says estoy aburridísimo, the suffix -ísimo indicates an extreme level of boredom that transcends the standard adjective.
- The adjective aburrido comes from the verb aburrir, which is related to the idea of being 'annoyed' or 'vexed' in some older Spanish contexts.
Examples in context
- No, no estoy aburrido, estoy cansado.No, I am not bored, I am tired.
- Dime la verdad, ¿estás aburrido?Tell me the truth, are you bored?
Example conversation
Mateo and María are waiting for a late train.
- MateoEste viaje es muy largo. ¿Estás aburrido?This trip is very long. Are you bored?
- MaríaUn poco, pero estoy leyendo un libro.A little, but I am reading a book.
- MateoYo no tengo nada que hacer.I have nothing to do.
- MaríaPuedes leer mi libro, Mateo.You can read my book, Mateo.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aburrido, CC BY-SA 4.0.
