Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 34

CEFR B1-B2

3 min read

Test yourself (19 questions)

Spanish Past Participles as Adjectives: una puerta cerrada

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Right after the past participle never changes. Everywhere else it is an adjective and agrees with its noun:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Frozen after haber, agreeing everywhere else. Choose the form.

  1. Hemos las puertas.

  2. Las puertas están .

  3. Tengo tres cartas. (I've got three letters written)

  • . - I' closed the door.
  • . - The door is closed.

The participle at a glance

The whole page on one screen. Only the first row is frozen.

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?
WhereSpanishEnglish
after .We' closed the doors.
with a noun a closed door
after .The windows are open.
after .I' got dinner made.
after .I' written three letters so far.
first , .Once the meeting was over, they left.

One test: is right in front? Leave the participle alone. Anything else? Make it agree with the noun it describes.

Frozen after haber, agreeing everywhere else

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?

In the perfect tenses the participle belongs to the verb, so it ignores the object:

  • . - I' closed the door.
  • . - We' closed the doors. Still .

Describing a noun, the same word is an adjective and agrees like or :

NounSpanishEnglish
m. sing. a written exam
f. sing. a closed door
m. plural the broken plates
f. plural the written letters
he cerrado, la puerta cerrada, las puertas cerradas

The irregular participles

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?

Most participles end in -ado or -. These common ones do not, and they agree just the same:

VerbParticipleExample
.
.
.
  • an open box an open box
  • a broken heart a broken heart
  • a fried egg a fried egg

also has a regular participle: and are both correct after , but the adjective is only .

After estar, quedar, tener and llevar

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?

Four verbs take an agreeing participle, each with its own meaning:

VerbSpanishEnglish
.The shop is closed.
.The door was left open.
.I' got dinner made.
.I' got three letters written.
.I' written three letters so far.

gives the state now, the state something ended up in. puts the finished result in your hands, and counts a total that is still growing. With and the participle agrees with the object, not with you:

  • . - I have written three letters. Frozen, after .
  • . - I' got three letters written. Agrees with .

Absolute clauses: a clause in two words

masculinefemininepluralWhat do the colours mean?

Put a participle and its noun at the start of a sentence and they stand for a whole "once this was done" clause, with no conjunction:

UseSpanishEnglish
once , .Once the meeting was over, they left.
with , .With the work done, I rest.
, .Once the problem was solved, we celebrated.
pluralTerminadas , .When classes were over, we left.
set phrase , .That said, we'll begin.
Participle
Noun
Main clause
,
.
,
.
Terminadas
,
.

The participle comes first and agrees with the noun after it. The clause usually means the action was finished before the main verb. In speech, says the same thing; the absolute clause is tighter and common in writing and news.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
... .after : frozen
it describes
agrees with
. .agrees with the object
abridas irregular:

What to do next

  1. Before any participle, look left: means frozen, anything else means agree.
  2. Learn the irregular table as a block.
  3. Then verbal periphrases, where , and add what tenses cannot.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Frozen after haber, agreeing everywhere else. Choose the form.

  1. Hemos las puertas.

  2. Las puertas están .

  3. Tengo tres cartas. (I've got three letters written)

  4. la reunión, se fueron.

  5. Los platos están .

Sort into groups

0/6

Does the participle stay frozen or agree with the noun?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one wrong participle. Tap it.

Fill in the blank

0/4

Write the participle of the verb in brackets, agreeing with its noun.

  1. una carta a mano (escribir) (irregular, feminine)

  2. La mesa ya está . (poner) (irregular, feminine)

  3. el trabajo, descanso. (hacer) (agrees with el trabajo)

  4. Una vez el problema, lo celebramos. (resolver) (irregular, masculine)

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Frequently asked questions

When does the Spanish past participle agree?
Everywhere except right after . In the perfect tenses it never changes: . As an adjective it agrees with its noun: , escritos. It also agrees after , , and ( , ) and at the head of an absolute clause ( ).
What is an absolute participle clause in Spanish?
A participle and a noun placed at the start of a sentence, standing for a whole 'once this was done' clause: , (once the meeting was over, they left), , (with the work done, I rest). The participle comes first and agrees with the noun. and are common set openers.
What is the difference between he and ?
He is the perfect tense: I have written three letters, and never changes. says I have three letters written, finished and in hand, and the participle agrees with . adds 'so far', a running total.
Which irregular past participles do you need?
The common ones are (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), () and (). As adjectives they agree like any other: , , .
Is it or in Spanish?
Both work after : he and he are both correct. As an adjective only is used: (), (a fried egg). Imprimir is similar: he imprimido or he impreso, but impreso.