Romperse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb romperse means to break (itself), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Romperse means to break, and it is the reflexive partner of romper: a glass, a phone or a bone breaks by itself or by accident. Its past participle is irregular — roto, not rompido — which is its single famous trap, and it matters because roto appears in every perfect tense. Like every Spanish verb, romperse 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 rompo el vaso en la cocina, and in the preterite you say me rompí la pierna en el accidente. 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: romperse
  • English: to break (itself)
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: rompiendo
  • Past participle: roto
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + roto)
  • 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 romperse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. The past participle of romperse is roto, never rompido: se ha roto el vaso, not se ha rompido el vaso.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for romperse. 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 rompo
tú te rompes
él/ella/Ud. se rompe
nosotros/as nos rompemos
vosotros/as os rompéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se rompen

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me rompí
tú te rompiste
él/ella/Ud. se rompió
nosotros/as nos rompimos
vosotros/as os rompisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se rompieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me rompía
tú te rompías
él/ella/Ud. se rompía
nosotros/as nos rompíamos
vosotros/as os rompíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se rompían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me romperé
tú te romperás
él/ella/Ud. se romperá
nosotros/as nos romperemos
vosotros/as os romperéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se romperán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me rompería
tú te romperías
él/ella/Ud. se rompería
nosotros/as nos romperíamos
vosotros/as os romperíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se romperían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me rompa
tú te rompas
él/ella/Ud. se rompa
nosotros/as nos rompamos
vosotros/as os rompáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se rompan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me rompiera
tú te rompieras
él/ella/Ud. se rompiera
nosotros/as nos rompiéramos
vosotros/as os rompierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se rompieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te rompe
él/ella/Ud. se rompa
nosotros/as nos rompamos
vosotros/as os romped
ellos/ellas/Uds. se rompan

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te rompas
él/ella/Ud. se rompa
nosotros/as nos rompamos
vosotros/as os rompáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se rompan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund rompiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy rompiendo (or me estoy rompiendo for this reflexive verb)
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 romperse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me 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 romperse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me 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 romperse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me rompía la pierna en el accidente. 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 romperse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me romperé el jarrón de la mesa. 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 romperse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me 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 the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romperse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me 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 the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romperse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había roto la pierna en el accidente 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 the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romperse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré roto el jarrón de la mesa. 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 the regular form — the auxiliary haber is completely regular. For romperse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me 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. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For romperse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se 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 romperse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se rompiera la pierna en el accidente, 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. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For romperse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se rompa el jarrón de la mesa. 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. Note the spelling change here: the final consonant of the stem changes before e to keep the same sound, so learn these forms from the table rather than copying the infinitive stem. For romperse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te 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 romperse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me rompo el vaso en la cocina. — I break the glass in the kitchen.
  2. Se rompe el móvil al caer al suelo. — He/she breaks the phone when it fell to the floor.
  3. Ayer, me rompí la pierna en el accidente. — Yesterday, I broke my leg in the accident.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos rompíamos el jarrón de la mesa. — Before, we used to break the vase on the table.
  5. Mañana, tú te romperás el vaso en la cocina. — Tomorrow, you will break the glass in the kitchen.
  6. Yo me rompería el móvil al caer al suelo si tuviera más tiempo. — I would break the phone when it fell to the floor if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha roto la pierna en el accidente. — He has broken my leg in the accident.
  8. Espero que él se rompa el jarrón de la mesa. — I hope he breaks the vase on the table.
  9. Yo ya me había roto el vaso en la cocina antes de salir. — I had already broken the glass in the kitchen before leaving.
  10. Ellos se rompían el móvil al caer al suelo cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to break the phone when it fell to the floor when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo rompo el vaso en la cocina. — Right: Yo me rompo el vaso en la cocina. — Romperse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Yo he rompido la pierna en el accidente. — Right: Yo he roto la pierna en el accidente. — The past participle of romperse is irregular: roto, not rompido. Every perfect tense uses he roto, había roto and so on.
  3. Wrong: Treating romperse and quebrar as identical in every context. — Right: Romperse means to break (itself), while quebrar means to break. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: romperse fits sentences such as Me rompo el vaso en la cocina, while quebrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. 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.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo rompí la pierna en el accidente todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo rompía la pierna en el accidente 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 romperse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vaso en la cocina. (present tense) A. me rompo B. te rompes C. se rompe D. nos rompemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ el móvil al caer al suelo. (preterite) A. me rompí B. te rompiste C. se rompieron D. se rompió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la pierna en el accidente. (imperfect) A. te rompías B. se rompían C. nos rompíamos D. me rompía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el jarrón de la mesa. (future) A. nos romperemos B. te romperás C. me romperé D. se romperá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el vaso en la cocina si pudiera. (conditional) A. me rompería B. te romperías C. se rompería D. se romperían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ el móvil al caer al suelo. (present subjunctive) A. me rompa B. te rompas C. nos rompamos D. se rompa

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la pierna en el accidente, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se rompiera B. nos rompiéramos C. me rompiera D. te rompieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el jarrón de la mesa. (present perfect) A. se han roto B. nos hemos roto C. me he roto D. te has roto

  9. Complete the command: No ___ el vaso en la cocina. (negative imperative, tú) A. te rompas B. se rompa C. nos rompamos D. os rompáis

  10. Which is the gerund of romperse, used with estar for the progressive? A. roto B. rompo C. rompí D. rompiendo

Answer key

  1. me rompo — The first-person present of romperse is me rompo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se rompió — The third-person preterite of romperse is se rompió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos rompíamos — The nosotros imperfect of romperse is nos rompíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te romperás — The second-person future of romperse is te romperás.
  5. me rompería — The first-person conditional of romperse is me rompería, the form for what would happen.
  6. se rompa — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of romperse is se rompa.
  7. me rompiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of romperse is me rompiera.
  8. nos hemos roto — The nosotros present perfect of romperse is nos hemos roto: hemos + roto.
  9. te rompas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te rompas.
  10. rompiendo — The gerund of romperse is rompiendo: estoy rompiendo. The participle roto is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does romperse mean in English?

Romperse means to break (itself). It is used in everyday situations such as Me 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 romperse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Romperse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me rompo el vaso en la cocina and él se rompe el móvil al caer al suelo. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between romperse and quebrar?

Romperse means to break (itself), while quebrar means to break. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use romperse when you mean to break (itself), as in Me rompo el vaso en la cocina, and use quebrar for to break. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me rompí el móvil al caer al suelo. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me rompía la pierna en el accidente. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he roto el móvil al caer al suelo.

How do I practise romperse?

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

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