Tropezar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

tropezar means "to trip, to stumble" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Tropezar always takes con before the obstacle: tropezar con una piedra. It is also used figuratively for running into a problem: tropezar con un problema. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of tropezar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the tropezar present tense page.

tropezar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo tropiezo con una piedra en el camino — "I trip on a stone on the path"
  2. Mi amigo tropieza con el bordillo de la acera — "My friend trips on the kerb"
  3. Mañana, tú tropezarás con sus propios pies — "Tomorrow, you will trip over his own feet"
  4. Yo tropezaría con la alfombra del salón si pudiera — "I would trip on the living-room rug if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo tropecé con una piedra en el camino — "Yesterday, I triped on a stone on the path"
  2. Antes, nosotros tropezábamos con el bordillo de la acera — "Before, we used to trip on the kerb"
  3. Él ha tropezado con sus propios pies — "He has triped over his own feet"
  4. Yo ya había tropezado con la alfombra del salón antes de salir — "I already had triped on the living-room rug before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él tropiece con una piedra en el camino — "I hope he trips on a stone on the path"
  2. Si yo tropezara con el bordillo de la acera, todo cambiaría — "If I triped on the kerb, everything would change"
  3. Tropieza con sus propios pies. — "Trip over his own feet."
  4. Yo habría tropezado con la alfombra del salón con más tiempo — "I would have triped on the living-room rug with more time"

tropezar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use tropezar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo tropiezo con una piedra en el camino — "I trip on a stone on the path"
  • Marcos: Él tropieza con el bordillo de la acera — "He trips on the kerb"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo tropecé con sus propios pies — "Yesterday, I triped over his own feet"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú tropezarás con la alfombra del salón — "Tomorrow, you will trip on the living-room rug"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Tropieza con una raíz en el bosque. — "Trip on a root in the forest."
  • Lucía: Él ha tropezado con una piedra en el camino — "He has triped on a stone on the path"
  • Marcos: Espero que él tropiece con el bordillo de la acera — "I hope he trips on the kerb"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo tropezaba con sus propios pies — "Before, I used to trip over his own feet"

Common mistakes with tropezar

The errors learners actually make with tropezar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo tropezo con la alfombra del salón.

✓ Correct: Yo tropiezo con la alfombra del salón.

tropezar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tropiezo, not tropezo.

✗ *Ayer, yo tropezé con una raíz en el bosque.

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo tropecé con una raíz en el bosque.

The z of tropezar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is tropecé, never tropezé.

✗ *Espero que él tropieza con la alfombra del salón

✓ Correct: Espero que él tropiece con la alfombra del salón

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tropiece con la alfombra del salón — not the indicative Espero que él tropieza con la alfombra del salón.

✗ *Ayer, yo tropiezo con una raíz en el bosque

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo tropecé con una raíz en el bosque

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo tropecé con una raíz en el bosque.

✗ *De niño, yo tropecé con una piedra en el camino todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo tropezaba con una piedra en el camino todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo tropezaba con una piedra en el camino todos los días.

Quiz: tropezar in use

Ten questions on tropezar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ con una piedra en el camino — "I trip on a stone on the path" (present) A. tropezamos B. tropiezo C. tropiezas D. tropieza

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ con el bordillo de la acera — "Yesterday, I triped on the kerb" (preterite) A. tropecé B. tropezaste C. tropezó D. tropezamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ con sus propios pies — "Before, we used to trip over his own feet" (imperfect) A. tropezabais B. tropezábamos C. tropezaba D. tropezabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ con la alfombra del salón — "Tomorrow, you will trip on the living-room rug" (future) A. tropezaremos B. tropezarás C. tropezaré D. tropezará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ con una raíz en el bosque — "I would trip on a root in the forest" (conditional) A. tropezarías B. tropezaríamos C. tropezaríais D. tropezaría

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ con una piedra en el camino — "He has triped on a stone on the path" (present perfect) A. has tropezado B. hemos tropezado C. ha tropezado D. he tropezado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ con el bordillo de la acera — "I hope he trips on the kerb" (present subjunctive) A. tropieces B. tropecemos C. tropecéis D. tropiece

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ con sus propios pies. — "Trip over his own feet." (affirmative imperative) A. tropezad B. tropieza C. tropiece D. tropecemos

  9. Which is the gerund of tropezar, used with estar for the progressive? A. tropezado B. tropiezo C. tropecé D. tropezando

  10. What does tropezar mean in English? A. to cross B. to trip C. to fall D. to enjoy

Answer key

  1. tropiezo — The present form for yo is tropiezo.
  2. tropecé — The preterite form for yo is tropecé.
  3. tropezábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is tropezábamos.
  4. tropezarás — The future form for tú is tropezarás.
  5. tropezaría — The conditional form for yo is tropezaría.
  6. ha tropezado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha tropezado.
  7. tropiece — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tropiece.
  8. tropieza — The affirmative imperative form is tropieza.
  9. tropezando — The gerund of tropezar is tropezando: estoy tropezando. The participle tropezado is used with haber instead.
  10. to trip — tropezar means to trip.

Frequently asked questions

What does tropezar mean in English?

tropezar means to trip, to stumble. For example: Yo tropiezo con una piedra en el camino — "I trip on a stone on the path". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with tropezar?

tropezar takes con before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with tropezar.

Is tropezar regular?

No. tropezar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tropiezo, tropiezas, tropieza and tropiezan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: tropezamos, tropezáis.

How do I practise tropezar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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