El pasajero del tren está cansado.

The passenger on the train is tired.

Breakdown of El pasajero del tren está cansado.

• estar: to be
• del: of the
• cansado: tired
• el tren: the train
• el pasajero: the passenger

Questions & Answers about El pasajero del tren está cansado.

Why is it del instead of de el?

In Spanish, de + el always contracts to del.

• de el tren → del tren
• It is mandatory, not optional. You cannot write de el tren.

So el pasajero del tren literally means the passenger of-the train.

Why is it está cansado and not es cansado?

Spanish uses two verbs for to be: ser and estar.

• estar is used for states and conditions, often temporary:
  • está cansado = he is (feels) tired now.
• ser with cansado would describe a characteristic of the person, or that he is a boring / tiring person:
  • es cansado = he is a tiring person (people get tired/bored with him).

In this sentence we are talking about his current state, so estar is correct: está cansado.

Why does cansado end in -o? What happens if the passenger is a woman or there are several passengers?

Adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

Here the noun is el pasajero:

• el = masculine singular article
• pasajero = masculine singular noun

So the adjective is also masculine singular:

• cansado (masculine singular)

If you change the gender or number:

• la pasajera está cansada
  (female passenger, feminine singular: cansada)

• los pasajeros están cansados
  (male or mixed group, masculine plural: cansados)

• las pasajeras están cansadas
  (all female group, feminine plural: cansadas)

Can I drop el and just say Pasajero del tren está cansado?

No, that sounds incorrect in standard Spanish.

As a subject, a common noun like pasajero normally needs:

• a definite article: el pasajero del tren
• or an indefinite article: un pasajero del tren

So you say:

• El pasajero del tren está cansado.
• Un pasajero del tren está cansado.

But Pasajero del tren está cansado (with no article) is not natural in modern standard Spanish, except in very special stylistic or poetic contexts.

What is the difference between el pasajero del tren and un pasajero del tren?

The difference is specific vs. non‑specific:

• el pasajero del tren
  = the passenger of the train
  You and the listener know exactly which passenger you mean (for example, the only passenger, or one already mentioned).

• un pasajero del tren
  = a passenger of the train
  This is one passenger, but you don’t specify which; it could be any passenger on that train.

The rest of the sentence is the same:
El pasajero del tren está cansado.
Un pasajero del tren está cansado.

Are del tren and de tren the same, as in el pasajero del tren vs el pasajero de tren?

They are not exactly the same.

• el pasajero del tren
  Usually refers to a passenger of a specific train that you have in mind:

  • El pasajero del tren está cansado.
    The passenger (of that train we’re talking about) is tired.

• pasajero de tren (often without article in dictionaries or titles)
  Describes the type of passenger: a train passenger in general, not tied to one specific train.

  • Es un pasajero de tren muy frecuente.
    He is a very frequent train passenger.

In your original sentence, del tren sounds more natural, because we are talking about that train’s passenger.

Is cansado an adjective or a past participle here?

Historically, cansado is the past participle of cansar (to tire), but in this sentence it is used as an adjective describing a state.

• Verb: cansar = to tire someone
  
  • El viaje cansa al pasajero. (The trip tires the passenger.)
• Past participle / adjective: cansado
  
  • El pasajero está cansado. (The passenger is tired.)

So grammatically here:

• está = verb
• cansado = adjective agreeing with pasajero (masculine singular)

Could I say El pasajero del tren tiene sueño instead of está cansado?

You can, but it doesn’t mean exactly the same:

• está cansado
  = he is tired (physically or mentally, maybe after a long day, work, walking, etc.)

• tiene sueño
  Literally he has sleep, i.e. he is sleepy (he wants to sleep, his eyes are closing).

Sometimes both are true at the same time, but:

• cansado focuses on fatigue.
• tener sueño focuses on sleepiness.

Can I move del tren and say El pasajero está cansado del tren?

You can, but the meaning changes.

1. El pasajero del tren está cansado.

   • del tren goes with pasajero → the passenger of the train
     Meaning: The train’s passenger is tired.

2. El pasajero está cansado del tren.

   • del tren now goes with cansado → tired *of the train*
     Meaning: The passenger is fed up with the train / tired of travelling by train.

So the position of del tren tells you which word it modifies.

What is the difference between el and él here?

In the sentence you gave, we have el, without an accent:

• el pasajero del tren
  Here el is the definite article = the.

él (with accent) is a pronoun = he:

• Él está cansado. = He is tired.

They sound the same, but:

• el (no accent) = the
• él (with accent) = he

Your sentence correctly uses el (article):
El pasajero del tren está cansado.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence in Spanish from Spain?

Yes, a few key points:

• El: short, like English "ell".
• pasajero:
  • pasa: pa as in pasta, sa with clear s.
  • je: the j is a harsh sound from the throat (), like in Scottish loch.
  • Stress on -je-: pa‑sa‑JE‑ro.
• del: like English "del" in deli, short e.
• tren: one syllable, tr together, clear e, final n pronounced.
• está:
  • Accent mark means the stress is on -tá: es‑TÁ.
  • The initial e is like e in get.
• cansado:
  • can: c before a is a k sound: kan.
  • sa: clear s.
  • do: d is softer than in English, especially between vowels.
  • Stress on -sa-: can‑SA‑do.

In most of Spain this would be pronounced with:

• s always like English s (never like English z here).
• No special th sound in any of these words (there is no z, ci, or ce in the sentence).