Quebrar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb quebrar means to break, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Quebrar means to break, and it is used for breaking a bone, breaking a promise and a company going bankrupt. It is fully regular, and in Latin America it is the everyday verb for breaking, where romper is more common in Spain. Like every Spanish verb, quebrar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say quebro una pierna en el accidente, and in the preterite you say quebré el cristal de la ventana. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: quebrar
  • English: to break
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: quebrando
  • Past participle: quebrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + quebrado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for quebrar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Quebrar is fully regular: quebré, quebraba, quebraré. Quebrar una promesa is to break a promise.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for quebrar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo quebro
tú quebras
él/ella/Ud. quebra
nosotros/as quebramos
vosotros/as quebráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebran

Preterite

Person Form
yo quebré
tú quebraste
él/ella/Ud. quebró
nosotros/as quebramos
vosotros/as quebrasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebraron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo quebraba
tú quebrabas
él/ella/Ud. quebraba
nosotros/as quebrábamos
vosotros/as quebrabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebraban

Future

Person Form
yo quebraré
tú quebrarás
él/ella/Ud. quebrará
nosotros/as quebraremos
vosotros/as quebraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebrarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo quebraría
tú quebrarías
él/ella/Ud. quebraría
nosotros/as quebraríamos
vosotros/as quebraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebrarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he quebrado
tú has quebrado
él/ella/Ud. ha quebrado
nosotros/as hemos quebrado
vosotros/as habéis quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han quebrado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había quebrado
tú habías quebrado
él/ella/Ud. había quebrado
nosotros/as habíamos quebrado
vosotros/as habíais quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían quebrado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré quebrado
tú habrás quebrado
él/ella/Ud. habrá quebrado
nosotros/as habremos quebrado
vosotros/as habréis quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán quebrado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría quebrado
tú habrías quebrado
él/ella/Ud. habría quebrado
nosotros/as habríamos quebrado
vosotros/as habríais quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían quebrado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo quebre
tú quebres
él/ella/Ud. quebre
nosotros/as quebremos
vosotros/as quebréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo quebrara
tú quebraras
él/ella/Ud. quebrara
nosotros/as quebráramos
vosotros/as quebrarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú quebra
él/ella/Ud. quebre
nosotros/as quebremos
vosotros/as quebrad
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebren

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú quebres
él/ella/Ud. quebre
nosotros/as quebremos
vosotros/as quebréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quebren

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund quebrando with estar for the progressive: estoy quebrando
Past participle quebrado with haber for the perfect tenses: he quebrado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Quebro una pierna en el accidente. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, quebré una promesa importante. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, quebraba el cristal de la ventana. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, quebraré con la crisis de la empresa. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Quebraría una pierna en el accidente si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he quebrado una promesa importante. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había quebrado el cristal de la ventana antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré quebrado con la crisis de la empresa. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría quebrado una pierna en el accidente con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él quebre una promesa importante. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él quebrara el cristal de la ventana, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Quebra con la crisis de la empresa! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quebrar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No quebres una pierna en el accidente. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with quebrar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Quebro una pierna en el accidente. — I break a leg in the accident.
  2. Quebra una promesa importante. — He/she breaks an important promise.
  3. Ayer, quebré el cristal de la ventana. — Yesterday, I broke the window glass.
  4. Antes, nosotros quebrábamos con la crisis de la empresa. — Before, we used to break with the company's crisis.
  5. Mañana, tú quebrarás una pierna en el accidente. — Tomorrow, you will break a leg in the accident.
  6. Yo quebraría una promesa importante si tuviera más tiempo. — I would break an important promise if I had more time.
  7. Él ha quebrado el cristal de la ventana. — He has broken the window glass.
  8. Espero que él quebre con la crisis de la empresa. — I hope he breaks with the company's crisis.
  9. Yo ya había quebrado una pierna en el accidente antes de salir. — I had already broken a leg in the accident before leaving.
  10. Ellos quebraban una promesa importante cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to break an important promise when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo quebra una pierna en el accidente. — Right: Yo quebro una pierna en el accidente. — The person matters: quebra is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is quebro. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo quebro una promesa importante. — Right: Ayer yo quebré una promesa importante. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: quebro is happening now, while quebré is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating quebrar and romper as identical in every context. — Right: Quebrar means to break, while romper means to break. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: quebrar fits sentences such as Quebro una pierna en el accidente, while romper belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy quebrado una promesa importante. — Right: Yo he quebrado una promesa importante. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he quebrado, has quebrado, ha quebrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo quebré el cristal de la ventana todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo quebraba el cristal de la ventana todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (quebraba), not the preterite. The preterite (quebré) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on quebrar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una pierna en el accidente. (present tense) A. quebro B. quebras C. quebra D. quebramos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ una promesa importante. (preterite) A. quebré B. quebraste C. quebraron D. quebró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el cristal de la ventana. (imperfect) A. quebrabas B. quebraban C. quebrábamos D. quebraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con la crisis de la empresa. (future) A. quebraremos B. quebrarás C. quebraré D. quebrará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una pierna en el accidente si pudiera. (conditional) A. quebraría B. quebrarías C. quebrarían D. quebro

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una promesa importante. (present subjunctive) A. quebres B. quebremos C. quebro D. quebre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el cristal de la ventana, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. quebráramos B. quebro C. quebrara D. quebraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con la crisis de la empresa. (present perfect) A. han quebrado B. hemos quebrado C. he quebrado D. has quebrado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ una pierna en el accidente! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. quebra B. quebre C. quebremos D. quebrad

  10. Which is the gerund of quebrar, used with estar for the progressive? A. quebrado B. quebro C. quebré D. quebrando

Answer key

  1. quebro — The first-person present of quebrar is quebro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. quebró — The third-person preterite of quebrar is quebró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. quebrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of quebrar is quebrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. quebrarás — The second-person future of quebrar is quebrarás.
  5. quebraría — The first-person conditional of quebrar is quebraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. quebre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of quebrar is quebre.
  7. quebrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of quebrar is quebrara.
  8. hemos quebrado — The nosotros present perfect of quebrar is hemos quebrado: hemos + quebrado.
  9. quebra — The affirmative tú imperative of quebrar is quebra.
  10. quebrando — The gerund of quebrar is quebrando: estoy quebrando. The participle quebrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does quebrar mean in English?

Quebrar means to break. It is used in everyday situations such as Quebro una pierna en el accidente. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is quebrar regular or irregular?

Quebrar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including quebro in the present and quebré in the preterite.

What is the difference between quebrar and romper?

Quebrar means to break, while romper means to break. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use quebrar when you mean to break, as in Quebro una pierna en el accidente, and use romper for to break. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I break” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo quebré una promesa importante. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo quebraba el cristal de la ventana. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he quebrado una promesa importante.

How do I practise quebrar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the quebrar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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