Bromear Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

bromear means “to joke” 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. Bromear means to joke, to say something funny without being serious. It is used among friends, family and colleagues, and it is a fully regular verb. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, 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 bromear; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the bromear present tense page.

bromear in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo bromeo con sus amigos en el bar. — “I joke with his friends in the bar.”
  2. Él bromea sobre el jefe en la oficina. — “He jokes about the boss in the office.”
  3. Nosotros bromeamos con su hermano por teléfono. — “We joke with his brother on the phone.”
  4. Ellos bromean en clase para romper el hielo. — “They joke in class to break the ice.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo bromeé sobre el jefe en la oficina. — “Yesterday, I joked about the boss in the office.”
  2. Antes, nosotros bromeábamos con su hermano por teléfono. — “Before, we used to joke with his brother on the phone.”
  3. Él bromeó en clase para romper el hielo. — “He joked in class to break the ice.”
  4. Yo ya había bromeado con sus amigos en el bar antes de salir. — “I had already joked with his friends in the bar before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú bromearás con sus amigos en el bar. — “Tomorrow, you will joke with his friends in the bar.”
  2. Yo bromearía sobre el jefe en la oficina si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would joke about the boss in the office if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha bromeado con su hermano por teléfono. — “He has joked with his brother on the phone.”
  4. Espero que él bromee en clase para romper el hielo. — “I hope he jokes in class to break the ice.”

bromear in conversation

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

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo bromeo con sus amigos en el bar. — “I joke with his friends in the bar.”
  • Bea: Él bromea sobre el jefe en la oficina. — “He jokes about the boss in the office.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo bromeé sobre el jefe en la oficina. — “Yesterday, I joked about the boss in the office.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú bromearás con sus amigos en el bar. — “Tomorrow, you will joke with his friends in the bar.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros bromeamos con su hermano por teléfono. — “We joke with his brother on the phone.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros bromeábamos con su hermano por teléfono. — “Before, we used to joke with his brother on the phone.”
  • Luis: Yo bromearía sobre el jefe en la oficina si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would joke about the boss in the office if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él bromee en clase para romper el hielo. — “I hope he jokes in class to break the ice.”

A short scene with bromear

A short scene shows how bromear works across the day. In the morning: Bromeo con sus amigos en el bar. In the afternoon: Bromea sobre el jefe en la oficina. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, bromeé con su hermano por teléfono. And tomorrow: Mañana, bromearé en clase para romper el hielo. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how bromear sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with bromear

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

✗ Yo bromea con sus amigos en el bar.

✓ Correct: Yo bromeo con sus amigos en el bar.

The person matters: bromea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is bromeo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo bromeo sobre el jefe en la oficina.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo bromeé sobre el jefe en la oficina.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: bromeo is happening now, while bromeé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating bromear and reír as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Bromear means to joke, while reír means to laugh.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: bromear fits sentences such as Bromeo con sus amigos en el bar, while reír belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy bromeado sobre el jefe en la oficina.

✓ Correct: Yo he bromeado sobre el jefe en la oficina.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he bromeado, has bromeado, ha bromeado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo bromeé con su hermano por teléfono todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo bromeaba con su hermano por teléfono todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (bromeaba), not the preterite. The preterite (bromeé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: bromear in use

Ten questions on bromear — 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: Él ______ sobre el jefe en la oficina. — “He/she jokes about the boss in the office.”

  • a) bromea
  • b) bromeo
  • c) bromeas
  • d) bromeamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ con su hermano por teléfono. — “Yesterday, I joked with his brother on the phone.”

  • a) bromeaste
  • b) bromeó
  • c) bromearon
  • d) bromeé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ en clase para romper el hielo cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to joke in class to break the ice when they were young.”

  • a) bromeabas
  • b) bromeábamos
  • c) bromeaban
  • d) bromeaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ con sus amigos en el bar. — “Tomorrow, we will joke with his friends in the bar.”

  • a) bromearán
  • b) bromearemos
  • c) bromearé
  • d) bromearás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ sobre el jefe en la oficina si pudiera. — “He would joke about the boss in the office if he could.”

  • a) bromearía
  • b) bromearías
  • c) bromearíamos
  • d) bromeo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ con su hermano por teléfono. — “I have joked with his brother on the phone.”

  • a) has bromeado
  • b) ha bromeado
  • c) han bromeado
  • d) he bromeado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ en clase para romper el hielo. — “I hope you joke in class to break the ice.”

  • a) bromeemos
  • b) bromeo
  • c) bromees
  • d) bromee

8. Which is the past participle of bromear, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) bromeé
  • b) bromeado
  • c) bromeando
  • d) bromeo

9. What does bromear mean in English?

  • a) to joke
  • b) to laugh
  • c) to mock, to make fun of
  • d) to throw away, to bounce

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él bromea sobre el jefe en la oficina.
  • b) Él bromeo sobre el jefe en la oficina.
  • c) Nosotros bromea con su hermano por teléfono.
  • d) Yo bromea con sus amigos en el bar.

Answer key

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

  2. d) bromeé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: bromeé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) bromeaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: bromeaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) bromearemos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: bromearemos.

  5. a) bromearía — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: bromearía.

  6. d) he bromeado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he bromeado, haber + bromeado.

  7. c) bromees — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is bromees.

  8. b) bromeado — The past participle is bromeado: he bromeado, has bromeado, ha bromeado. The gerund bromeando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to joke — bromear means to joke. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él bromea sobre el jefe en la oficina. — Él bromea sobre el jefe en la oficina. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use bromear in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Bromeo con sus amigos en el bar and Bromea sobre el jefe en la oficina. 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 bromear and reír?

Bromear means “to joke”, while reír means “to laugh”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use bromear when you mean “to joke” and reír when you mean “to laugh”.

Which tense do I need most with bromear?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use bromear 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 bromear formal or informal?

Bromear 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.

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