Romper Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb romper means to break, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Romper means to break, and it covers breaking a glass, breaking a promise, breaking the silence and breaking a record. Its past participle is irregular — roto, not rompido — which is its single famous trap, and it matters because roto appears in every perfect tense and in the passive. Like every Spanish verb, romper 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 rompo el vaso en la cocina, and in the preterite you say rompí una promesa importante. 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: romper
- English: to break
- Verb type: irregular verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: rompiendo
- Past participle: roto
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + roto)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for romper, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. The participle is roto, never rompido: he roto el vaso, not he rompido el vaso.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for romper. 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 | rompo |
| tú | rompes |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompe |
| nosotros/as | rompemos |
| vosotros/as | rompéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rompen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rompí |
| tú | rompiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompió |
| nosotros/as | rompimos |
| vosotros/as | rompisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rompieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rompía |
| tú | rompías |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompía |
| nosotros/as | rompíamos |
| vosotros/as | rompíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rompían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | romperé |
| tú | romperás |
| él/ella/Ud. | romperá |
| nosotros/as | romperemos |
| vosotros/as | romperéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | romperán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rompería |
| tú | romperías |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompería |
| nosotros/as | romperíamos |
| vosotros/as | romperíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | romperían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he roto |
| tú | has roto |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha roto |
| nosotros/as | hemos roto |
| vosotros/as | habéis roto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han roto |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había roto |
| tú | habías roto |
| él/ella/Ud. | había roto |
| nosotros/as | habíamos roto |
| vosotros/as | habíais roto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían roto |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré roto |
| tú | habrás roto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá roto |
| nosotros/as | habremos roto |
| vosotros/as | habréis roto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán roto |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría roto |
| tú | habrías roto |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría roto |
| nosotros/as | habríamos roto |
| vosotros/as | habríais roto |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían roto |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rompa |
| tú | rompas |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompa |
| nosotros/as | rompamos |
| vosotros/as | rompáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rompan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | rompiera |
| tú | rompieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompiera |
| nosotros/as | rompiéramos |
| vosotros/as | rompierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rompieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | rompe |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompa |
| nosotros/as | rompamos |
| vosotros/as | romped |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rompan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | rompas |
| él/ella/Ud. | rompa |
| nosotros/as | rompamos |
| vosotros/as | rompáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | rompan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | rompiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy rompiendo |
| Past participle | roto | with haber for the perfect tenses: he roto |
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 romper, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Rompo el vaso en la cocina. 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 romper, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, rompí el móvil al caer al suelo. 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 romper, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, rompía una promesa importante. 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 romper, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, romperé el silencio con una pregunta. 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 romper, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Rompería el vaso en la cocina 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is roto, not rompido — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romper, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he roto el móvil al caer al suelo. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is roto, not rompido — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romper, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había roto una promesa importante 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is roto, not rompido — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romper, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré roto el silencio con una pregunta. 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. This tense is irregular for this verb only because the past participle is roto, not rompido — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romper, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría roto el vaso en la cocina 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 romper, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él rompa el móvil al caer al suelo. 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 romper, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él rompiera una promesa importante, 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 romper, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Rompe el silencio con una pregunta! 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 romper, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No rompas el vaso en la cocina. 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 romper, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Rompo el vaso en la cocina. — I break the glass in the kitchen.
- Rompe el móvil al caer al suelo. — He/she breaks the phone when it fell.
- Ayer, rompí una promesa importante. — Yesterday, I broke an important promise.
- Antes, nosotros rompíamos el silencio con una pregunta. — Before, we used to break the silence with a question.
- Mañana, tú romperás el vaso en la cocina. — Tomorrow, you will break the glass in the kitchen.
- Yo rompería el móvil al caer al suelo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would break the phone when it fell if I had more time.
- Él ha roto una promesa importante. — He has broken an important promise.
- Espero que él rompa el silencio con una pregunta. — I hope he breaks the silence with a question.
- Yo ya había roto el vaso en la cocina antes de salir. — I had already broken the glass in the kitchen before leaving.
- Ellos rompían el móvil al caer al suelo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to break the phone when it fell when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo rompe el vaso en la cocina. — Right: Yo rompo el vaso en la cocina. — The person matters: rompe is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is rompo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo he rompido una promesa importante. — Right: Yo he roto una promesa importante. — The past participle of romper is irregular: roto, not rompido. Every perfect tense uses he roto, había roto and so on.
- Wrong: Treating romper and quebrar as identical in every context. — Right: Romper means to break, while quebrar means to break, more common in Latin America. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: romper fits sentences such as Rompo el vaso en la cocina, while quebrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy roto el móvil al caer al suelo. — Right: Yo he roto el móvil al caer al suelo. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he roto, has roto, ha roto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo rompí una promesa importante todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo rompía una promesa importante todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (rompía), not the preterite. The preterite (rompí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on romper. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vaso en la cocina. (present tense) A. rompo B. rompes C. rompe D. rompemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el móvil al caer al suelo. (preterite) A. rompí B. rompiste C. rompieron D. rompió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ una promesa importante. (imperfect) A. rompías B. rompían C. rompíamos D. rompía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el silencio con una pregunta. (future) A. romperemos B. romperás C. romperé D. romperá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vaso en la cocina si pudiera. (conditional) A. rompería B. romperías C. romperían D. rompo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el móvil al caer al suelo. (present subjunctive) A. rompas B. rompamos C. rompo D. rompa
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una promesa importante, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. rompiéramos B. rompo C. rompiera D. rompieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el silencio con una pregunta. (present perfect) A. han roto B. hemos roto C. he roto D. has roto
Complete the command: ¡___ el vaso en la cocina! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. rompe B. rompa C. rompamos D. romped
Which is the gerund of romper, used with estar for the progressive? A. roto B. rompo C. rompí D. rompiendo
Answer key
- rompo — The first-person present of romper is rompo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- rompió — The third-person preterite of romper is rompió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- rompíamos — The nosotros imperfect of romper is rompíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- romperás — The second-person future of romper is romperás.
- rompería — The first-person conditional of romper is rompería, the form for what would happen.
- rompa — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of romper is rompa.
- rompiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of romper is rompiera.
- hemos roto — The nosotros present perfect of romper is hemos roto: hemos + roto.
- rompe — The affirmative tú imperative of romper is rompe.
- rompiendo — The gerund of romper is rompiendo: estoy rompiendo. The participle roto is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does romper mean in English?
Romper means to break. It is used in everyday situations such as Rompo el vaso en la cocina. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is romper regular or irregular?
Romper is irregular in past-participle, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect. The other tenses follow the regular pattern. Learn the irregular forms from the tables above rather than guessing them from the infinitive.
What is the difference between romper and quebrar?
Romper means to break, while quebrar means to break, more common in Latin America. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use romper when you mean to break, as in Rompo el vaso en la cocina, and use quebrar for to break, more common in Latin America. 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 rompí el móvil al caer al suelo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo rompía una promesa importante. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he roto el móvil al caer al suelo.
How do I practise romper?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the romper examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Romper in the preterite tense — the full preterite-tense table for romper.
- Romper examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for romper.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Encender conjugation — another -er verb to compare with romper.
- Barrer conjugation — another -er verb to compare with romper.
- Meter conjugation — another -er verb to compare with romper.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.