Casser Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

casser — to break — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find casser in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the casser conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the casser present tense page.

Example sentences with casser

In the present tense

  • “Je casse le verre tous les jours.” — “I break the glass every day.”
  • “Tu casses le verre à la maison.” — “You break the glass at home.”
  • “Il casse le verre ce matin.” — “He breaks the glass this morning.”
  • “Nous cassons le verre avec Paul.” — “We break the glass with Paul.”
  • “Vous cassez le verre.” — “You break the glass.”
  • “Ils cassent le verre tous les jours.” — “They break the glass every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai cassé le verre hier.” — “I have broken the glass yesterday.”
  • “Tu as cassé le verre la semaine dernière.” — “You have broken the glass last week.”
  • “Il a cassé le verre ce matin.” — “He has broken the glass this morning.”
  • “Nous avons cassé le verre avant la fête.” — “We have broken the glass before the party.”
  • “Vous avez cassé le verre.” — “You have broken the glass.”
  • “Ils ont cassé le verre hier.” — “They have broken the glass yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je cassais le verre à la maison.” — “I used to break the glass at home.”
  • “Tu casseras le verre bientôt.” — “You will break the glass soon.”
  • “Il casserait le verre avec Paul.” — “He would break the glass with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous cassions le verre tous les jours.” — “It is important that We break the glass every day.”
  • “Casse le verre !” — “Break the glass!”

Casser in context

Je casse le verre tous les jours. Tu casses le verre à la maison. Il casse le verre ce matin. Nous cassons le verre avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de casser est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — casse, casses, casse, cassons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to break. J'ai cassé le verre hier. Tu as cassé le verre la semaine dernière. Il a cassé le verre ce matin. Nous avons cassé le verre avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de casser apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to break — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je casser le verre.”

✓ Right: “Je casse le verre tous les jours.”

The infinitive casser never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form casse.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je casses le verre.”

✓ Right: “Je casse le verre tous les jours.”

casses is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is casse — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je casse le verre hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai cassé le verre hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai cassé here, not the present casse.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je cassons le verre.”

✓ Right: “Je casse le verre tous les jours.”

cassons is the nous form. The je form is casse — the two persons never share a form in the present of casser.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on casser across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) avais cassé
    • B) aurais cassé
    • C) auras cassé
    • D) casses

  2. What is the je form of casser in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) ont cassé
    • B) avons cassé
    • C) aurai cassé
    • D) ai cassé

  3. What is the il/elle form of casser in the Imperfect?

    • A) aurait cassé
    • B) cassât
    • C) casserait
    • D) cassait

  4. What is the nous form of casser in the Future?

    • A) casserons
    • B) aurons cassé
    • C) avons cassé
    • D) cassera

  5. What is the tu form of casser in the Conditional?

    • A) casserais
    • B) cassais
    • C) casseras
    • D) casseriez

  6. What is the je form of casser in the Passé simple?

    • A) cassai
    • B) cassâmes
    • C) aurai cassé
    • D) cassa

  7. What is the nous form of casser in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) cassions
    • B) cassassions
    • C) casses
    • D) casserions

  8. What is the gerund of casser?

    • A) en cassant
    • B) admettant
    • C) chargeant
    • D) conclusant

  9. What is the past participle of casser?

    • A) contrôlé
    • B) détruit
    • C) créé
    • D) cassé

  10. What does casser mean in English?

  • A) notice
  • B) add
  • C) accuse
  • D) break

Answer key

  1. D) casses — the tu form of casser in the present indicative is casses. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. D) ai cassé — the je form of casser in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai cassé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) cassait — the il/elle form of casser in the imperfect is cassait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. A) casserons — the nous form of casser in the future is casserons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) casserais — the tu form of casser in the conditional is casserais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) cassai — the je form of casser in the passé simple is cassai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. A) cassions — the nous form of casser in the present subjunctive is cassions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. A) en cassant — the gerund of casser is en cassant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
  9. D) cassé — the past participle of casser is cassé; perfect tenses use avoir + cassé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. D) break — casser means “to break” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does casser mean in English?

casser means “to break”. You use it whenever you talk about to break in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is casser regular or irregular?

casser is regular. casser is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

What are the gerund and past participle of casser?

The gerund is en cassant and the past participle is cassé. The perfect tenses use avoir + cassé.

Where can I see the full conjugation of casser?

On the casser conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The casser present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for casser, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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