Quebrarse Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Quebrarse means “to break (a bone)”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Quebrarse means to break a bone, and it is the reflexive verb for a bone breaking, usually in an accident or a fall. It is fully regular, and it is always used with the body part, as in quebrarse la pierna. This page shows quebrarse in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” — I break my leg in the accident.
Quebrarse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how quebrarse is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use quebrarse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” — I break my leg in the accident.
“¿Tú te quebras el brazo al caer?” — Do you break my arm when I fell?
“Se quebra una costilla en el partido.” — He/she breaks a rib in the match.
“Nos quebramos la muñeca en la pista.” — We break my wrist on the rink.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show quebrarse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo me quebré la pierna en el accidente.” — Yesterday, I broke my leg in the accident. (preterite)
“Él se quebraba el brazo al caer todos los días.” — He used to break my arm when I fell every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of quebrarse stays the same.
“Nosotros nos quebraremos una costilla en el partido mañana.” — We will break a rib in the match tomorrow. (future)
“¿Te has quebrado la muñeca en la pista?” — Have you broken my wrist on the rink? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Os quebráis la pierna en el accidente.” — You break my leg in the accident.
“Se quebran el brazo al caer.” — They break my arm when I fell.
“Me quebro una costilla en el partido.” — I break a rib in the match.
“Se quebra la muñeca en la pista.” — He/she breaks my wrist on the rink.
Quebrarse in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how quebrarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú te quebras la pierna en el accidente?” — Do you break my leg in the accident?
Carlos: “Sí, yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” — Yes, I break my leg in the accident.
Lucía: “Nosotros nos quebramos el brazo al caer.” — We break my arm when I fell.
Carlos: “Y ellos se quebran una costilla en el partido.” — And they break a rib in the match.
Lucía: “Vosotros os quebráis la muñeca en la pista.” — You break my wrist on the rink.
Carlos: “Sí, y él se quebra el brazo al caer.” — Yes, and he breaks my arm when I fell.
A short paragraph
Lucía se quebra la pierna en el accidente, y Carlos se quebra el brazo al caer. Nosotros nos quebramos una costilla en el partido, y ellos se quebran la muñeca en la pista. Yo me quebro una costilla en el partido, y mi padre se quebra la muñeca en la pista. Quebrarse is part of everyday life, because to break (a bone) is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with quebrarse
These are the errors learners actually make with quebrarse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo quebro la pierna en el accidente.” Right: “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” Why: Quebrarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
Wrong: “Ayer yo quebro el brazo al caer.” Right: “Ayer yo quebré el brazo al caer.” Why: 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.
Wrong: “Treating quebrarse and romperse as identical in every context.” Right: “Quebrarse means to break (a bone), while romperse means to break.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: quebrarse fits sentences such as Me quebro la pierna en el accidente, while romperse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy quebrado el brazo al caer.” Right: “Yo he quebrado el brazo al caer.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he quebrado, has quebrado, ha quebrado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo quebré una costilla en el partido todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo quebraba una costilla en el partido todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (quebraba), not the preterite. The preterite (quebré) is for one finished action.
Quiz: quebrarse in use
Ten questions on quebrarse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la pierna en el accidente.” (My leg in the accident.)
- (a) os quebráis
- (b) me quebro
- (c) te quebras
Answer: os quebráis — The vosotros/as form of quebrarse in the present is os quebráis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el brazo al caer.” (My arm when i fell.)
- (a) me quebro
- (b) te quebras
- (c) se quebran
Answer: se quebran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of quebrarse in the present is se quebran.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ la pierna en el accidente.” (My leg in the accident.)
- (a) se quebró
- (b) me quebré
- (c) te quebraste
Answer: me quebré — The yo form of quebrarse in the preterite is me quebré.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el brazo al caer.” (My arm when i fell.)
- (a) se quebraba
- (b) me quebraba
- (c) te quebrabas
Answer: se quebraba — The él/ella/Ud. form of quebrarse in the imperfect is se quebraba.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ una costilla en el partido.” (A rib in the match.)
- (a) me quebraré
- (b) te quebrarás
- (c) nos quebraremos
Answer: nos quebraremos — The nosotros/as form of quebrarse in the future is nos quebraremos.
6. What does quebrarse mean in English?
- (a) to cut oneself
- (b) to break (a bone)
- (c) to break
Answer: to break (a bone) — Quebrarse means “to break (a bone)”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.
- (b) Ellos quebra la pierna en el accidente.
- (c) Yo me quebro el brazo al caer ayer.
Answer: Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente. — “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I break my leg in the accident.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo se quebran la pierna en el accidente.
- (b) Yo me quebré la pierna en el accidente.
- (c) Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.
Answer: Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente. — “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of quebrarse in the present tense?
- (a) te quebras
- (b) nos quebramos
- (c) me quebro
Answer: nos quebramos — The nosotros form is nos quebramos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo me quebré la pierna en el accidente.
- (b) Nosotros nos quebraremos la pierna en el accidente mañana.
- (c) Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.
Answer: Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente. — “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I break (a bone)' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente todos los días'.
How do you say 'I break (a bone)' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo me quebré el brazo al caer'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo me quebraba el brazo al caer todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo me he quebrado el brazo al caer'.
What is the difference between quebrarse and romperse?
Quebrarse means to break (a bone), while romperse means to break. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use quebrarse when you mean to break (a bone), as in Me quebro la pierna en el accidente.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of quebrarse — every tense of quebrarse in one place.
- Quebrarse in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on quebrarse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of quebrarse until they are automatic.