# I am bored / I am boring



## girloncrack

Hi all,

I have heard various instances of adjectives, as in "the xyz is interesting", being used as verbs, as in "to be interested".  I have not been able to distinguish any difference in the sound between these two usages, they both sound like מענין to me.  Can anyone explain to me how this works, and if there is a general rule?  

I used the example bored vs. boring in the title because it makes it more apparent that there can be a big difference in meaning between the two variations.

Thanks!


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## elroy

interesting - me'*a*ny*e*n
interested - me'*o*ny*a*n 

boring - mesh*a*'m*e*m
bored - mesh*o*'m*a*m


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## girloncrack

Thanks Elroy - 

What exactly are me'onyan and mesho'mam - are they simply a different type of adjective, or are they verbs?  If adjective, what are the m/f s/p variations?  If verb, what are the roots?


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## elroy

They are adjectives.

me'onyan
me'onyenet 
me'onyanim
me'onyanot


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## pachyderm

A correction:
"Bored" is spelled מְשֻעְמָם, perhaps historically pronounced [Meshuעmam], but in modern Hebrew pronounced [Meshuamam] (no glottal stop between u and a). Similarly "Boring" is pronounced [Meshaamem].
(And again, [me*u*nyan], not [meonyan])


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## scriptum

elroy said:


> They are adjectives.
> 
> me'onyan
> me'onyenet
> me'onyanim
> me'onyanot


 
Excuse me, but I would rather say they are passive participles of the verb leanyen (to interest)
I think that few people would say "ani meshuamam" (I am bored). Most speakers would use a more colloquial expression "meshaamem li" ("it's boring to me", which is a calque from Russian).
My two cents.


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## elroy

pachyderm said:


> A correction:
> "Bored" is spelled מְשֻעְמָם, perhaps historically pronounced [Meshuעmam], but in modern Hebrew pronounced [Meshuamam] (no glottal stop between u and a). Similarly "Boring" is pronounced [Meshaamem].


The apostrophe was supposed to represent the dropping of the ע sound, not a glottal stop.


> (And again, [me*u*nyan], not [meonyan])


 Thanks for the correction.


scriptum said:


> Excuse me, but I would rather say they are passive participles of the verb leanyen (to interest)


 Yes, they are past participles, but they are also adjectives.


> I think that few people would say "ani meshuamam" (I am bored). Most speakers would use a more colloquial expression "meshaamem li" ("it's boring to me", which is a calque from Russian).


 Correct, but the point was to show the difference between the present participle and the past participle.


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## girloncrack

I'm confused!


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## scriptum

girloncrack said:


> I'm confused!


Who isn't? What confuses you is probably the difference of pronunciation between people who came from different places. You will get used to it, just like everybody else...


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## Nunty

Girloncrack, there are two ways to say I am bored:
1. Mesha'amem li (משעמם לי) [this] bores me
2. Ani meshu'amam (אני משועמם) I am bored

(1) is the most common way of expressing this. Little kids say it their mothers all the time. 

Similarly, it is slightly more common to say (3) than (4):
3. ze ma'anyen oti (זה מעניין אותי) This interests me.
4. ani m'unyan b'ze (אני מעוניין בזה) I am interested in this

However, the preference of (3) over (4) is not, at least in my circles as great as the preference of (1) over (2).

Does that help at all?


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## pachyderm

In my judgment:

אני מעוניין בזה - in the sense of "I'd like", as in:
אני מעוניין להשיג את העבודה הזו / אני מעוניין בעבודה הזו
אני מעוניינת בבחור הזה
אני מעוניין לקנות טלפון אלחוטי

אני מתעניין בזה - in a subject matter, e.g:
אני מתעניינת בספרות צרפתית

If you find a class interesting you'd say:
השיעור מעניין אותי
And not:
אני מתעניין בשיעור*
*אני מעוניין בשיעור


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