Quebrarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb quebrarse means to break (a bone), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, quebrarse 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 me quebro la pierna en el accidente, and in the preterite you say me quebré una costilla en el partido. 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: quebrarse
  • English: to break (a bone)
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: quebrando
  • Past participle: quebrado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + quebrado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for quebrarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Quebrarse is reflexive and takes the body part with the definite article: se quebró la pierna, not se quebró su pierna.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for quebrarse. 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 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

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quebré
tú te quebraste
él/ella/Ud. se quebró
nosotros/as nos quebramos
vosotros/as os quebrasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebraron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quebraba
tú te quebrabas
él/ella/Ud. se quebraba
nosotros/as nos quebrábamos
vosotros/as os quebrabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebraban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quebraré
tú te quebrarás
él/ella/Ud. se quebrará
nosotros/as nos quebraremos
vosotros/as os quebraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebrarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quebraría
tú te quebrarías
él/ella/Ud. se quebraría
nosotros/as nos quebraríamos
vosotros/as os quebraríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebrarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he quebrado
tú te has quebrado
él/ella/Ud. se ha quebrado
nosotros/as nos hemos quebrado
vosotros/as os habéis quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han quebrado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había quebrado
tú te habías quebrado
él/ella/Ud. se había quebrado
nosotros/as nos habíamos quebrado
vosotros/as os habíais quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían quebrado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré quebrado
tú te habrás quebrado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá quebrado
nosotros/as nos habremos quebrado
vosotros/as os habréis quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán quebrado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría quebrado
tú te habrías quebrado
él/ella/Ud. se habría quebrado
nosotros/as nos habríamos quebrado
vosotros/as os habríais quebrado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían quebrado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quebre
tú te quebres
él/ella/Ud. se quebre
nosotros/as nos quebremos
vosotros/as os quebréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebren

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quebrara
tú te quebraras
él/ella/Ud. se quebrara
nosotros/as nos quebráramos
vosotros/as os quebrarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebraran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te quebra
él/ella/Ud. se quebre
nosotros/as nos quebremos
vosotros/as os quebrad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebren

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te quebres
él/ella/Ud. se quebre
nosotros/as nos quebremos
vosotros/as os quebréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quebren

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund quebrando with estar for the progressive: estoy quebrando (or me estoy quebrando for this reflexive verb)
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 quebrarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me quebro la 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 quebrarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me quebré el brazo al caer. 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 quebrarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me quebraba una costilla en el partido. 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 quebrarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me quebraré la muñeca en la pista. 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 quebrarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me quebraría la 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 quebrarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he quebrado el brazo al caer. 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 quebrarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había quebrado una costilla en el partido 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 quebrarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré quebrado la muñeca en la pista. 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 quebrarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría quebrado la 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 quebrarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se quebre el brazo al caer. 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 quebrarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se quebrara una costilla en el partido, 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 quebrarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se quebre la muñeca en la pista. 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 quebrarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te quebres la 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 quebrarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me quebro la pierna en el accidente. — I break my leg in the accident.
  2. Se quebra el brazo al caer. — He/she breaks my arm when I fell.
  3. Ayer, me quebré una costilla en el partido. — Yesterday, I broke a rib in the match.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos quebrábamos la muñeca en la pista. — Before, we used to break my wrist on the rink.
  5. Mañana, tú te quebrarás la pierna en el accidente. — Tomorrow, you will break my leg in the accident.
  6. Yo me quebraría el brazo al caer si tuviera más tiempo. — I would break my arm when I fell if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha quebrado una costilla en el partido. — He has broken a rib in the match.
  8. Espero que él se quebre la muñeca en la pista. — I hope he breaks my wrist on the rink.
  9. Yo ya me había quebrado la pierna en el accidente antes de salir. — I had already broken my leg in the accident before leaving.
  10. Ellos se quebraban el brazo al caer cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to break my arm when I fell when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo quebro la pierna en el accidente. — Right: Yo me quebro la pierna en el accidente. — Quebrarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo quebro el brazo al caer. — Right: Ayer yo quebré el brazo al caer. — 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 quebrarse and romperse as identical in every context. — Right: Quebrarse means to break (a bone), while romperse means to break. — 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.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy quebrado el brazo al caer. — Right: Yo he quebrado el brazo al caer. — 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 una costilla en el partido todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo quebraba una costilla en el partido 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 quebrarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

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

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el brazo al caer. (preterite) A. me quebré B. te quebraste C. se quebraron D. se quebró

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ una costilla en el partido. (imperfect) A. te quebrabas B. se quebraban C. nos quebrábamos D. me quebraba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ la muñeca en la pista. (future) A. nos quebraremos B. te quebrarás C. me quebraré D. se quebrará

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

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el brazo al caer. (present subjunctive) A. me quebre B. te quebres C. nos quebremos D. se quebre

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una costilla en el partido, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se quebrara B. nos quebráramos C. me quebrara D. te quebraras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ la muñeca en la pista. (present perfect) A. se han quebrado B. nos hemos quebrado C. me he quebrado D. te has quebrado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ la pierna en el accidente. (negative imperative, tú) A. te quebres B. se quebre C. nos quebremos D. os quebréis

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

Answer key

  1. me quebro — The first-person present of quebrarse is me quebro. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se quebró — The third-person preterite of quebrarse is se quebró, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos quebrábamos — The nosotros imperfect of quebrarse is nos quebrábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te quebrarás — The second-person future of quebrarse is te quebrarás.
  5. me quebraría — The first-person conditional of quebrarse is me quebraría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se quebre — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of quebrarse is se quebre.
  7. me quebrara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of quebrarse is me quebrara.
  8. nos hemos quebrado — The nosotros present perfect of quebrarse is nos hemos quebrado: hemos + quebrado.
  9. te quebres — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te quebres.
  10. quebrando — The gerund of quebrarse is quebrando: estoy quebrando. The participle quebrado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does quebrarse mean in English?

Quebrarse means to break (a bone). It is used in everyday situations such as Me quebro la pierna en el accidente. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is quebrarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Quebrarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me quebro la pierna en el accidente and él se quebra el brazo al caer. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

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, and use romperse for to break. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I break (a bone)” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me quebré el brazo al caer. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me quebraba una costilla en el partido. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he quebrado el brazo al caer.

How do I practise quebrarse?

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

Related links