Participles as Adjectives

Level 3

A participle can act as an adjective: la pòrta barrada.

How It Works

MasculineFeminineMasculine pluralFeminine plural
barratbarradabarratsbarradas
crompatcrompadacrompatscrompadas
obèrtobèrtaobèrtsobèrtas

In a regular participle, the final -t becomes -d- before -a: barrat, barrada; finit, finida; vendut, venduda. Irregular participles have a feminine of their own: obèrt, obèrta; fach, facha.

The participle agrees when it describes something. After aver it does not change: Ai crompat los libres. The one exception, a pronoun before the verb, has its own entry. After èsser it agrees with the subject: La pòrta es barrada.

Compare Marta a barrat la pòrta (Marta closed the door, an action) with La pòrta es barrada (the door is closed, a state).

Examples (5)

  1. La pòrta es barrada.

    The door is closed.

    Barrada agrees with the feminine noun pòrta.

  2. Los libres crompats ièr son sus la taula.

    The books bought yesterday are on the table.

    Crompats agrees with the masculine plural libres.

  3. Aimi lo pan fach a l'ostal.

    I like homemade bread.

    Fach describes the masculine noun pan.

  4. Los dròlles cansats dormisson.

    The tired children sleep.

    Cansats is the masculine plural.

  5. Veses las fenèstras obèrtas?

    Do you see the open windows?

    Obèrtas is the feminine plural of obèrt.

Common Mistakes

  • Not making the participle plural.

    Los libres crompat son sus la taula.
    Los libres crompats son sus la taula.

    A participle that describes a plural noun takes -s.

  • Not making the participle feminine.

    La pòrta es barrat.
    La pòrta es barrada.

    A feminine subject takes barrada.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Participles as AdjectivesLevel 3

Learn This First

A participle used as an adjective agrees with its noun, so the irregular participles and the feminine of adjectives come first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.