Aburrir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

aburrir means "to bore" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Aburrir means "to bore", and it works in two ways that learners must keep apart. As a gustar-like verb, it describes what bores you: me aburre la clase means "the class bores me". As an ordinary transitive verb, it describes someone boring someone else: el profesor aburre a los alumnos. The gustar-like use is far more common in everyday speech, and the verb agrees with the thing that bores you: me aburre el libro (singular), me aburren las clases (plural). Its reflexive partner aburrirse — to get bored — is a separate verb with its own page. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of aburrir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the aburrir present tense page.

aburrir in everyday use: examples with translations

Things that bore you

  1. Me aburre la clase de historia. — "History class bores me."
  2. Me aburren las películas largas. — "Long films bore me."
  3. Me aburrió la película de ayer. — "Yesterday's film bored me."
  4. De niño, me aburría el colegio. — "As a child, school used to bore me."

People boring others

  1. El profesor aburre a los alumnos. — "The teacher bores the students."
  2. No me aburre el trabajo. — "Work doesn't bore me."
  3. Me aburrirá la reunión de mañana. — "Tomorrow's meeting will bore me."
  4. Me ha aburrido la charla. — "The talk has bored me."

Asking about boredom

  1. ¿Te aburre esperar? — "Does waiting bore you?"
  2. Nos aburren las colas. — "Queues bore us."
  3. Me aburriría la fiesta si no hay música. — "The party would bore me if there is no music."
  4. Les aburre el museo. — "The museum bores them."

aburrir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use aburrir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two students complain about class.

  • Ana: Me aburre la clase de historia. — "History class bores me."
  • Bea: Me aburren las películas largas. — "Long films bore me."
  • Ana: ¿Te aburre esperar? — "Does waiting bore you?"
  • Bea: El profesor aburre a los alumnos. — "The teacher bores the students."

At home, talking about the weekend.

  • Luis: No me aburre el trabajo. — "Work doesn't bore me."
  • Marta: Nos aburren las colas. — "Queues bore us."
  • Luis: Me aburrió la película de ayer. — "Yesterday's film bored me."
  • Marta: Me aburriría la fiesta si no hay música. — "The party would bore me if there is no music."

Common mistakes with aburrir

The errors learners actually make with aburrir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo aburro la clase de historia (treating aburrir like a normal verb for "I am bored by").

✓ Correct: Me aburre la clase de historia.

For "the class bores me", use the gustar-like pattern: me aburre la clase. Yo aburro means "I bore (someone else)".

✗ *Me aburre las películas largas (singular verb with a plural subject).

✓ Correct: Me aburren las películas largas.

The verb agrees with the thing: las películas is plural, so the verb is aburren.

✗ *Me aburren esperar (plural verb with an infinitive).

✓ Correct: ¿Te aburre esperar?

With an infinitive, always use the singular: me aburre esperar.

✗ *El profesor aburre los alumnos (missing the personal a).

✓ Correct: El profesor aburre a los alumnos.

When aburrir is used as an ordinary transitive verb with people, the personal a is required: aburrir a los alumnos.

Quiz: aburrir in use

Ten questions on aburrir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Me ______ la clase de historia. — "History class bores me."

  • a) aburrió
  • b) aburro
  • c) aburre
  • d) aburres

2. Complete the sentence: Me ______ la película de ayer. — "Yesterday's film bored me."

  • a) aburrí
  • b) aburrió
  • c) aburriste
  • d) aburre

3. Complete the sentence: No me ______ el trabajo. — "Work doesn't bore me."

  • a) aburrió
  • b) aburres
  • c) aburre
  • d) aburro

4. Complete the sentence: ¿Te ______ esperar? — "Does waiting bore you?"

  • a) aburrió
  • b) aburres
  • c) aburre
  • d) aburro

5. Which is the correct present tense form of aburrir for yo?

  • a) aburro
  • b) aburre
  • c) aburres
  • d) aburrimos

6. Which is the correct present tense form of aburrir for tú?

  • a) aburro
  • b) aburres
  • c) aburre
  • d) aburrimos

7. Which is the correct present tense form of aburrir for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) aburro
  • b) aburres
  • c) aburre
  • d) aburren

8. Which sentence uses aburrir correctly?

  • a) Te aburren las reuniones.
  • b) Yo aburro el cine español.
  • c) Te aburrieron las reuniones.
  • d) Te aburre las reuniones.

9. What is the past participle of aburrir?

  • a) aburriendo
  • b) aburrió
  • c) aburrido
  • d) aburro

10. What does aburrir mean in English?

  • a) to bore
  • b) to go
  • c) to get bored
  • d) to have

Answer key

  1. c) aburre — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: aburre.

  2. b) aburrió — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite: aburrió.

  3. c) aburre — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: aburre.

  4. c) aburre — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: aburre.

  5. a) aburro — The present tense form for yo is aburro.

  6. b) aburres — The present tense form for tú is aburres.

  7. d) aburren — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is aburren.

  8. a) Te aburren las reuniones. — Te aburren las reuniones. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. c) aburrido — The past participle is aburrido. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he aburrido, has aburrido, ha aburrido.

  10. a) to bore — aburrir means "to bore".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use aburrir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as me aburre la clase and me aburren las películas. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between aburrir and aburrirse?

aburrir means "to bore", while aburrirse means "to get bored". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use aburrir when you mean "to bore" and aburrirse when you mean "to get bored".

Which tense do I need most with aburrir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use aburrir most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is aburrir formal or informal?

aburrir is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

Related links