The ways Japanese verbs are used as adjectives are a little different from English.
What is expressed using past participles are expressed with [verb 連用形 + aux verb of perfect た(だ)]
- 壊れた時計 -> A broken watch
- 欠けた刃 -> A chipped blade
- 曲がったパイプ -> A bent pipe
- 汚れた服 -> A soiled dress
- 変わった人 -> An eccentric person
- 痩せた人 -> A thin person
- 太った人 -> A fat person
Usually what are expressed with [verb + た(だ)] can also be expressed with [verb 連用形 + て + いる]
- 壊れている時計 -> A broken watch
- 欠けている刃 -> A chipped blade
- 曲がっているパイプ -> A bent pipe
- 汚れている服 -> A soiled dress
- 変わっている人 -> An eccentric person
- 痩せている人 -> A thin person
- 太っている人 -> A fat person
There are no definitive differences between the two, except [verb + た(だ)] is always followed by nouns, and cannot be used as an attribute without a following noun: Compare the following pairs of examples, one with verbs as adjectives, and one with verbs as verbs:
- この時計は壊れている -> This watch is broken (❌この時計は壊れた)
- 二十年使った後この時計は壊れた -> This watch broke after 20 years of use
- 彼は痩せている -> He is thin (❌彼は痩せた)
- 彼は運動して痩せた -> He worked out and got thinner
Note the continuous/progressive aspect is also expressed with [verb 連用形 + て + いる].
- 彼女は本を読んでいる -> She is reading a book
- 彼はテレビを見ている -> He is watching TV
However with perfective verbs (verbs that express actions with a clear beginning and an end), it works like “the action took place once, and the resultant state remains to this moment”.
- 彼は太っている -> He is fat (❌He is gaining weight)
If the action is still progressing, it will be expressed as follows:
The difficult part is Japanese verbs are always not clearly divided into perfective and imperfective like Russian.
Some are simply idiomatic expressions that you just have to know:
- 彼は変わっている -> He is eccentric (❌He is changing)
- 時代は変わっている -> The times are changing
[verb 連体形 + noun] often corresponds to [present participle + noun] in English:
- 働く女性のための情報サイト -> An information website for working women
- 頑張る人達を応援します -> We support hard-working people
- 感銘を受ける映画 -> An inspiring movie
- 変わる時代に対応する -> Adapt to the changing times