Fracturarse Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
fracturarse means "to fracture (a bone)" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see fracturarse with his arm in the fall, his leg in the match, his wrist in the accident and his ankle on the stairs — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída. — "Every day, I fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
fracturarse in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with fracturarse, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída. — "Every day, I fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo me fracturé la pierna en el partido. — "Yesterday, I fractured (a bone) his leg in the match." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo me fracturaba la muñeca en el accidente. — "In the past, I used to fracture (a bone) his wrist in the accident." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros nos fracturaremos el tobillo en la escalera. — "Tomorrow, we will fracture (a bone) his ankle on the stairs." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú te fracturarías el brazo en la caída. — "If you could, you would fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo me he fracturado la pierna en el partido. — "I have fractured (a bone) his leg in the match." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él se fractura la muñeca en el accidente. — "Normally, he/she fractures (a bone) his wrist in the accident." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él se fracturó el tobillo en la escalera. — "Yesterday, he/she fractured (a bone) his ankle on the stairs." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros nos fracturábamos el brazo en la caída. — "In the past, we used to fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo me fracturaré la pierna en el partido. — "Tomorrow, I will fracture (a bone) his leg in the match." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él se fracture la muñeca en el accidente. — "I hope that he/she fractures (a bone) his wrist in the accident." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡No te fractures el tobillo en la escalera! — "Do not fracture (a bone) his ankle on the stairs!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using fracturarse naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: his arm in the fall, his leg in the match, his wrist in the accident and his ankle on the stairs.
Dialogue 1: talking about his arm in the fall
Ana: ¿Tú te fracturas el brazo en la caída? — "Do you fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall?" Luis: Sí, yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída. — "I fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall." Ana: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Luis: Ayer, yo me fracturé la pierna en el partido. — "Yesterday, I fractured (a bone) his leg in the match." Ana: Mañana, nosotros nos fracturaremos la muñeca en el accidente. — "Tomorrow, we will fracture (a bone) his wrist in the accident." Luis: Si pudiera, yo me fracturaría el tobillo en la escalera. — "If I could, I would fracture (a bone) his ankle on the stairs." Ana: Antes, yo me fracturaba la pierna en el partido. — "In the past, I used to fracture (a bone) his leg in the match." Luis: Yo me he fracturado el brazo en la caída. — "I have fractured (a bone) his arm in the fall." Ana: ¡No te fractures la muñeca en el accidente! — "Do not fracture (a bone) his wrist in the accident!"
In this dialogue fracturarse appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about his wrist in the accident
Ana: Él se fractura la muñeca en el accidente. — "he/she fractures (a bone) his wrist in the accident." Luis: ¿De verdad? ¿Él se fractura la muñeca en el accidente todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she fractures (a bone) his wrist in the accident every day?" Ana: Sí, y ellos se fracturan el tobillo en la escalera. — "they fracture (a bone) his ankle on the stairs." Luis: Ayer, ellos se fracturaron la muñeca en el accidente. — "Yesterday, they fractured (a bone) his wrist in the accident." Ana: Espero que él se fracture el tobillo en la escalera. — "I hope that he/she fractures (a bone) his ankle on the stairs." Luis: Mañana, él se fracturará la muñeca en el accidente. — "Tomorrow, he/she will fracture (a bone) his wrist in the accident." Ana: Antes, nosotros nos fracturábamos el tobillo en la escalera. — "In the past, we used to fracture (a bone) his ankle on the stairs." Luis: Nosotros nos fracturamos el brazo en la caída también. — "we fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall too."
This dialogue shows fracturarse in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with fracturarse
The errors learners actually make with fracturarse in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun
- Wrong: Yo fracturo el brazo en la caída.
- Right: Yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída.
- Why: fracturarse is reflexive, so the pronoun is part of the verb: Yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída.. Without me the sentence is incomplete.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo fracturarse el brazo en la caída.
- Right: Yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída.
- Why: The infinitive fracturarse is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form fracturo.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo me fracturo la pierna en el partido.
- Right: Ayer, yo me fracturé la pierna en el partido.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo me fracturé la pierna en el partido. — "Yesterday, I fractured (a bone) his leg in the match."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Me estoy fracturado la muñeca en el accidente.
- Right: Me estoy fracturando la muñeca en el accidente.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund fracturando for the progressive. The participle fracturado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (me he fracturado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros nos fractura el brazo en la caída.
- Right: Nosotros nos fracturamos el brazo en la caída.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes fracturamos, while fractura belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: fracturarse in use
Test yourself with ten questions on fracturarse. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of fracturarse in the present tense?
- (a) fracturas
- (b) fractura
- (c) fracturamos
- (d) fracturo
Answer: (d) fracturo. The yo form is fracturo.
2. What is the tú form of fracturarse in the present tense?
- (a) fractura
- (b) fracturamos
- (c) fracturas
- (d) fracturo
Answer: (c) fracturas. The tú form is fracturas.
3. What is the él/ella form of fracturarse in the present tense?
- (a) fracturamos
- (b) fractura
- (c) fracturo
- (d) fracturas
Answer: (b) fractura. The él/ella form is fractura.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ el brazo en la caída.
- (a) fracturo
- (b) fracturas
- (c) fractura
- (d) fracturamos
Answer: (a) fracturo. The sentence needs the yo form fracturo.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ la pierna en el partido.
- (a) fracturaste
- (b) fracturó
- (c) fracturamos
- (d) fracturé
Answer: (d) fracturé. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is fracturé.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ la muñeca en el accidente.
- (a) fracturábamos
- (b) fracturabais
- (c) fracturaba
- (d) fracturabas
Answer: (c) fracturaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is fracturaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ el tobillo en la escalera.
- (a) fracturaremos
- (b) fracturaré
- (c) fracturarás
- (d) fracturará
Answer: (b) fracturaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is fracturaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el brazo en la caída.
- (a) nos hemos fracturado
- (b) me he fracturado
- (c) te has fracturado
- (d) se ha fracturado
Answer: (b) me he fracturado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: me he fracturado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la muñeca en el accidente.
- (a) fractures
- (b) fracturemos
- (c) fracturéis
- (d) fracture
Answer: (d) fracture. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is fracture.
10. What does fracturarse mean in English?
- (a) to become furious
- (b) to redden, to blush
- (c) to widen
- (d) to fracture (a bone)
Answer: (d) to fracture (a bone). fracturarse means "to fracture (a bone)" in English.
Frequently asked questions about fracturarse
What does fracturarse mean?
fracturarse means "to fracture (a bone)" in English. Use it when you talk about his arm in the fall, his leg in the match, his wrist in the accident and his ankle on the stairs — for example: Cada día, yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída. — "Every day, I fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall."
Is fracturarse reflexive?
Yes. fracturarse is reflexive, so it always travels with a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se. Cada día, yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída. — "Every day, I fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall." If you drop the pronoun, the sentence is incomplete.
What is the most common mistake with fracturarse?
Forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Learners write the bare form — for example, Yo fracturo el brazo en la caída — when the verb needs its pronoun: Cada día, yo me fracturo el brazo en la caída. — "Every day, I fracture (a bone) his arm in the fall." Keep the pronoun with the verb and the mistake disappears.
How can I practise fracturarse?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.