In today’s blog post, I will cover Spanish Verbs With Irregular Past Participles. In a recent email, I mentioned that it is a common mistake for English speakers to say phrases in Spanish such as “Mi abuelo está morido.”
I then added that the correct way to say “My grandfather is dead” in Spanish is “Mi abuelo está muerto.” That’s because the Spanish verb “morir” (to die) is a Spanish verb that has an irregular past participle: muerto (dead).
I probably didn’t win any points here with any of the “abuelitos” (grandfathers) who happen to be customers or subscribers by using the above example. So a less coarse way to the same would be:
Mi abuelito falleció
My grandfather passed away.
I have two more Spanish verbs for you that have irregular past participles, and English speakers commonly make mistakes with them when speaking Spanish.
1. La mesa está rompida.
That is not how you say “the table is broken.” The Spanish verb “romper” (to break) is another Spanish verb that has an irregular past participle: roto (broken)
So the correct phrase is:
La mesa está rota.
The table is broken.
How To Say Fried Chicken In Spanish
2. Yo comí pollo fritado.
That is not how you say “I ate fried chicken” in Spanish. The Spanish verb “fritar” (to fry) has an irregular past participle: frito (fried). So the correct phrase is:
Yo comí pollo frito.
I ate fried chicken.
There are two more things that you should be aware of:
a) In some Spanish speaking countries they use the verb “fritar” in order to say “to fry.” And in other Spanish speaking countries they use the verb “freír” in order to say “to fry.”
b) If you are thinking about taking a trip to Colombia, you probably will not hear the phrase “pollo frito” (fried chicken) anywhere in Colombia. In Colombia, they say “pollo apanado” (fried chicken). “Apanado” literally means “breaded.” But the “pollo apanado” in Colombia is not breaded. The chicken is coated with flour before being fried, just like the fried chicken in the States. Even in the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Colombia, the fried chicken is called “pollo apanado.”
