to be bored / to bore
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to be bored
To experience the feeling of boredom because you have nothing interesting to do or find a situation monotonous and uninteresting.
Wenn ich sonntags nichts vorhabe, langweile ich mich schnell.
When I don't have any plans on Sundays, I quickly get bored.
The verb is derived from 'lange Weile' (a long while). 'Weile' is an old word for a period of time. 'Lange Weile' therefore describes a long, uneventful period of time that leads to the feeling of boredom.
Die lange Wartezeit am Bahnhof war pure Langeweile.
The long wait at the train station was pure boredom.
It is important to distinguish between the two uses. 'Sich langweilen' (to be bored) is reflexive and means that you yourself feel boredom. 'Jemanden langweilen' (to bore someone) is transitive and means that you cause boredom in another person.
Die Kinder langweilen sich, weil es regnet.
The children are bored because it's raining.
A typical mistake is forgetting the reflexive pronoun 'sich'. If you want to say that you are bored, you must say 'Ich langweile mich' (I am bored). The sentence 'Ich langweile' means that you are a boring person.
Ich langweile mich bei diesem Film schrecklich.
I am terribly bored during this film.
When naming the reason for the boredom, different prepositions are used. You are bored 'bei' an activity (e.g., bei der Arbeit — at work). You bore someone 'mit' a topic (e.g., mit alten Geschichten — with old stories).
Er langweilt sich oft bei langen Familienfeiern.
He is often bored at long family gatherings.
to interest
'interessieren' and 'langweilen' describe opposite effects. If something interests someone, it arouses attention or curiosity. If something bores someone, the person finds it monotonous or not exciting. Both words can also be used reflexively: you are interested in something, but you are bored in a situation. In practical terms: 'interessieren' attracts attention, while 'langweilen' takes away the enjoyment and makes a situation feel tedious.
Der lange Vortrag langweilt sie, weil kaum Beispiele vorkommen.
The long lecture bores her because it contains hardly any examples.
Im Museum interessiert sich Herr Yilmaz besonders für alte Fotos aus der Stadt.
In the museum, Mr. Yilmaz is especially interested in old photos of the city.