Romper Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
The Spanish verb romper means to break. You can learn its forms from the full romper conjugation, but forms on their own are not enough: you need to see the verb in real sentences, in conversation, and in the mistakes people actually make. That is what this page is for. Below you will find example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the common mistakes, a ten-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions learners ask most. One sentence to start: Yo rompo el vaso. — "I break the glass."
Romper example sentences
Everyday use — the present tense
- Yo rompo el vaso. — "I break the glass."
- Tú rompes la ventana. — "you break the window."
- Él rompe un plato. — "he/she breaks a plate."
- Nosotros rompemos el jarrón. — "we break the vase."
Talking about the past
- Yo rompí un plato. — "I broke a plate."
- Él rompía el jarrón. — "he/she used to break the vase."
- Nosotros rompimos sin querer. — "we broke by accident."
Plans and wishes
- Yo romperé sin querer. — "I will break by accident."
- Tú romperías con una pelota. — "you would break with a ball."
More examples with romper
- Ayer rompí el vaso sin querer. — "Yesterday I broke the glass by accident."
- Mi hijo rompió la ventana con una pelota. — "My son broke the window with a ball."
- Anoche rompimos un plato en la cocina. — "Last night we broke a plate in the kitchen."
- De niño, rompía los juguetes con frecuencia. — "As a child, I used to break toys often."
- Mañana romperé el récord de la escuela. — "Tomorrow I will break the school record."
- Si no tuviera cuidado, rompería otro vaso. — "If I were not careful, I would break another glass."
Romper in conversation
Two short dialogues using romper naturally. Read them out loud: hearing the verb in a question and an answer is the fastest way to make the forms stick.
Dialogue 1: making plans
María: ¿Tú rompes el vaso? Carlos: Sí, yo rompo el vaso. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Rompe la ventana? Carlos: Sí, él rompe la ventana todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú romperás un plato? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo romperé un plato.
In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: rompes for tú, rompo for yo, rompe for él. The future forms at the end (romperás, romperé) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.
Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday
Ana: ¿Tú rompes el jarrón? Luis: Sí, yo rompo el jarrón. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Rompe sin querer? Luis: Sí, él rompe sin querer todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú rompiste el jarrón? Luis: Sí, ayer yo rompí el jarrón.
Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: rompí for yo, rompiste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.
Common mistakes with romper in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.
1. Ayer yo rompo el vaso.
Wrong: Ayer yo rompo el vaso.
Right: Ayer yo rompí el vaso.
A finished action yesterday needs the preterite: rompí. Rompo is the present tense.
2. He rompido el vaso.
Wrong: He rompido el vaso.
Right: He roto el vaso.
Romper has an irregular past participle: roto, not rompido. The present perfect is he roto, has roto, ha roto.
3. Confusing romper with arreglar
Wrong: Rompo el coche.
Right: Arreglo el coche.
Romper is breaking something; arreglar is fixing it. You rompes el vaso and luego lo arreglas — if it can be fixed at all.
4. Using the present for a finished past action
Wrong: Ayer yo rompo el vaso.
Right: Ayer yo rompí el vaso.
Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: rompí. The present describes what you do now or usually.
Quiz: romper in use
Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.
- Tú ___ el vaso (present)
- a) rompes
- b) rompo
- c) rompe
- d) rompemos
- Nosotros ___ la ventana (preterite)
- a) rompí
- b) rompiste
- c) rompió
- d) rompimos
- Ellos ___ un plato (imperfect)
- a) rompías
- b) rompía
- c) rompían
- d) rompía
- Tú ___ el jarrón (future)
- a) romperemos
- b) romperás
- c) romperé
- d) romperá
- Nosotros ___ sin querer (conditional)
- a) romperíamos
- b) rompería
- c) romperías
- d) rompería
- Ellos ___ con una pelota (present)
- a) rompo
- b) rompes
- c) rompe
- d) rompen
- Tú ___ el vaso (preterite)
- a) rompió
- b) rompimos
- c) rompiste
- d) rompí
- Nosotros ___ la ventana (imperfect)
- a) rompía
- b) rompíamos
- c) rompía
- d) rompías
- Ellos ___ un plato (future)
- a) romperán
- b) romperé
- c) romperás
- d) romperá
- Tú ___ el jarrón (conditional)
- a) rompería
- b) rompería
- c) romperíamos
- d) romperías
Answers
- a) rompes — the present form, for tú.
- d) rompimos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
- c) rompían — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- b) romperás — the future form, for tú.
- a) romperíamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
- d) rompen — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- c) rompiste — the preterite form, for tú.
- b) rompíamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
- a) romperán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- d) romperías — the conditional form, for tú.
Frequently asked questions about romper
Is the preterite of romper regular?
Yes. The preterite is regular: rompí, rompiste, rompió, rompimos, rompisteis, rompieron. The irregularity is in the past participle, roto.
Why is it he roto and not he rompido?
Romper is one of the few Spanish verbs with an irregular past participle. The participle is roto, so the present perfect is he roto, and the passive is está roto.
What are the gerund and the past participle of romper?
The gerund is rompiendo, used with estar for the progressive (estoy rompiendo), and the past participle is roto, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he roto).
Is romper regular?
Not entirely: romper has irregular forms, listed on its conjugation page. The present is rompo, rompes, rompe, rompemos, rompéis, rompen, and the full tables are on the romper conjugation page.
How to remember romper
Four small habits will fix romper in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: rompo, rompes, rompe, rompemos, rompéis, rompen. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (rompo), one about yesterday with the preterite (rompí), and one about tomorrow with the future (romperé). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from arreglar: Romper is breaking something; arreglar is fixing it. You rompes el vaso and luego lo arreglas — if it can be fixed at all. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund rompiendo and the past participle roto. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy rompiendo) and the present perfect (he roto), which covers most everyday conversation.
Related pages
- Romper conjugation: full tables — every tense of romper on one page.
- Romper Preterite tense — the deep dive on romper in the preterite.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Conjugation practice — fill-in-the-blank drills with instant feedback.