Quebrarse in the Present Tense

Quebrarse means “to break (a bone)”, and this page covers exactly one thing: quebrarse in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for quebrarse, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about quebrarse in the present. For example: “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” — I break my leg in the accident. Everything on this page uses the forms of quebrarse exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Quebrarse in the Present Tense — full table

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quebro
tú te quebras
él/ella/Ud. se quebra
nosotros/as nos quebramos
vosotros/as os quebráis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebran

Gerund: quebrando · Past participle: quebrado

The gerund is quebrando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy quebrando” means the action of quebrarse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is quebrado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he quebrado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how quebrarse is used.

How the present of quebrarse is formed

Quebrarse is regular in the present tense. Take the stem quebr and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving quebro, quebras, quebra, quebramos, quebráis, quebran. Watch the accents: the yo form is quebro and the él/ella/Ud. form is quebra. Because quebrarse is reflexive, put the pronoun before each form: me quebro, te quebras, se quebra, nos quebramos, os quebráis, se quebran.

When to use the present of quebrarse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use quebrarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and quebrarse is no exception. Example: “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente todos los días.” — I break my leg in the accident every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what quebrarse means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Se quebra el brazo al caer.” — He/she breaks my arm when I fell.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo me quebro una costilla en el partido ahora.” — I break a rib in the match now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros nos quebramos la muñeca en la pista.” — We break my wrist on the rink.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú te quebras la pierna en el accidente.” — You break my leg in the accident.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente todos los días.” — I break my leg in the accident every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo me quebré la pierna en el accidente.” — Yesterday, I broke my leg in the accident.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él se quebra el brazo al caer cada semana.” — He/she breaks my arm when I fell every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él se quebró el brazo al caer.” — Last week, he broke my arm when I fell.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros nos quebramos una costilla en el partido a menudo.” — We break a rib in the match often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros nos quebramos una costilla en el partido.” — Yesterday, we broke a rib in the match.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: quebrarse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Me quebro la pierna en el accidente.” — I break my leg in the accident.

  2. “Te quebras el brazo al caer.” — You break my arm when I fell.

  3. “Se quebra una costilla en el partido.” — He/she breaks a rib in the match.

  4. “Nos quebramos la muñeca en la pista.” — We break my wrist on the rink.

  5. “Os quebráis la pierna en el accidente.” — You break my leg in the accident.

  6. “Se quebran el brazo al caer.” — They break my arm when I fell.

  7. “Me quebro una costilla en el partido.” — I break a rib in the match.

  8. “Se quebra la muñeca en la pista.” — He/she breaks my wrist on the rink.

Common mistakes with quebrarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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 before every form. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

  • Wrong: “Yo quebro el brazo al caer ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo quebré el brazo al caer.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to quebré.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros quebras una costilla en el partido.” Right: “Nosotros nos quebramos una costilla en el partido.” Why: Nosotros needs nos quebramos. The tú form quebras belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos quebro la muñeca en la pista todos los días.” Right: “Ellos se quebran la muñeca en la pista todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form se quebran, not the yo form quebro. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: quebrarse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ la pierna en el accidente.” (My leg in the accident.)

  • (a) me quebro
  • (b) te quebras
  • (c) se quebra

Answer: me quebro — The yo form of quebrarse in the present is me quebro. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ el brazo al caer?” (My arm when i fell.)

  • (a) me quebro
  • (b) se quebra
  • (c) te quebras

Answer: te quebras — The tú form of quebrarse in the present is te quebras. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ una costilla en el partido.” (A rib in the match.)

  • (a) te quebras
  • (b) se quebra
  • (c) me quebro

Answer: se quebra — The él/ella/Ud. form of quebrarse in the present is se quebra. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la muñeca en la pista.” (My wrist on the rink.)

  • (a) nos quebramos
  • (b) me quebro
  • (c) te quebras

Answer: nos quebramos — The nosotros/as form of quebrarse in the present is nos quebramos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of quebrarse in the present?

  • (a) me quebro
  • (b) te quebras
  • (c) os quebráis

Answer: os quebráis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes os quebráis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros os quebráis la pierna en el accidente.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el brazo al caer.” (My arm when i fell.)

  • (a) te quebras
  • (b) se quebran
  • (c) me quebro

Answer: se quebran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of quebrarse in the present is se quebran. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of quebrarse in the present?

  • (a) me quebro
  • (b) te quebras
  • (c) se quebra

Answer: me quebro — The yo form is me quebro. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo me quebré la pierna en el accidente todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros nos quebraremos la pierna en el accidente mañana.
  • (c) Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente todos los días.

Answer: Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente todos los días. — “Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is quebrarse regular in the present?

Yes. Quebrarse is regular in the present: quebro, quebras, quebra, quebramos, quebráis, quebran. Watch the accents on the yo and él forms, and remember that only context tells the nosotros form apart from the present-tense nosotros form when they are identical.

What is the past participle of quebrarse?

The past participle is quebrado: 'He quebrado' means 'I have broken'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is quebrando.

Does quebrarse take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Quebrarse is reflexive and takes the body part with the definite article: se quebró la pierna, not se quebró su pierna. In the examples on this page, quebrarse appears with complements such as la pierna en el accidente and el brazo al caer, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of quebrarse?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo me quebro, tú te quebras, él/ella/Ud. se quebra, nosotros/as nos quebramos, vosotros/as os quebráis, ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebran. Then write three of your own sentences with quebrarse in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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