Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between feeling bored and being a boring person. Using the verb ser instead of estar (as in soy aburrido) changes the meaning from a temporary feeling to a description of your personality as someone who is boring.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, different expressions are used for related feelings. To say "I'm idle," you would say Estoy al pedo, and to say "I'm fed up," you would say Estoy podrido/a.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree with the gender of the speaker. A female speaker should use the feminine form estoy aburrida. Additionally, if you want to express that you are bored with or fed up with a specific thing or person, use the preposition de after the adjective, such as in estoy aburrido de…
Did you know?
- The Argentinian phrase estoy al pedo literally means 'I am at the fart'. While it translates to 'I am idle' or 'I have nothing to do', it is a common slang expression in the region.
- The adjective aburrido is a past participle, meaning its literal historical origin is the state of 'having been driven to a state of dullness' or 'being driven away'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying estoy aburrido can be seen as a sign of privilege, as having the luxury of being bored implies a lack of pressing survival needs.
Examples in context
- Estoy aburrido de Boston.I'm bored with Boston.This sentence shows how to express being bored with a specific place using estoy aburrido.Tatoeba #5752625 by arh, translation #2547228 by CK
- Estoy aburrido, también.I'm bored, too.This sentence shows how to add "too" to the phrase estoy aburrido.Tatoeba #4697374 by ecorralest101, translation #2549641 by CK
- Estoy aburrido y no tengo nada que hacer.I'm bored and I have nothing to do.This sentence demonstrates using estoy aburrido to express having nothing to do.Tatoeba #1398009 by darinmex, translation #1178285 by treskro3
- Me encuentro aburrido/a en esta reunión tan larga.I feel bored in this long meeting.
- Estoy aburrido/a, no sé qué hacer en casa hoy.I'm bored, I don't know what to do at home today.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are waiting at a train station.
- ElenaEstoy aburrido, no pasa nada aquí.I'm bored, nothing is happening here.
- JavierYo también, el tren llega tarde.Me too, the train is late.
- Elena¿Quieres jugar un juego en el móvil?Do you want to play a game on your phone?
- JavierSí, eso suena mucho mejor.Yes, that sounds much better.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aburrido, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
