Introduction
Tumbar means “to knock down”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Tumbar means to knock down or to lay down, and it covers knocking down a wall, a tree and a person in a game: tumbar la pared, tumbar a su rival. It is a fully regular -ar verb. Its reflexive partner tumbarse means to lie down. This page shows tumbar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Tumbo la pared del jardín.” — I knock down the garden wall.
Tumbar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how tumbar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use tumbar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Tumbo la pared del jardín.” — I knock down the garden wall.
“¿Tumbas un árbol con la sierra?” — Do you knock down a tree with the saw?
“Tumba a su rival en el juego.” — He/she knocks down his rival in the game.
“Nosotros tumbamos la puerta de una patada.” — We knock down the door with a kick.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show tumbar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo tumbé la pared del jardín.” — Yesterday, I knocked down the garden wall. (preterite)
“Antes, él tumbaba un árbol con la sierra.” — Before, he used to knock down a tree with the saw. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of tumbar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros tumbaremos a su rival en el juego.” — Tomorrow, we will knock down his rival in the game. (future)
“¿Tú has tumbado la puerta de una patada?” — Have you knocked down the door with a kick? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros tumbáis la pared del jardín.” — You knock down the garden wall.
“Ellos tumban un árbol con la sierra.” — They knock down a tree with the saw.
“Yo tumbo a su rival en el juego.” — I knock down his rival in the game.
“Mi padre tumba la puerta de una patada.” — My father knocks down the door with a kick.
Tumbar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how tumbar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú tumbas un árbol con la sierra?” — Do you knock down a tree with the saw?
Pedro: “Sí, yo tumbo la pared del jardín.” — Yes, I knock down the garden wall.
Marta: “Nosotros tumbamos la puerta de una patada.” — We knock down the door with a kick.
Pedro: “Y ellos tumban un árbol con la sierra.” — And they knock down a tree with the saw.
Marta: “Vosotros tumbáis a su rival en el juego.” — You knock down his rival in the game.
Pedro: “Sí, y él tumba la pared del jardín.” — Yes, and he knocks down the garden wall.
A short paragraph
Tumba la pared del jardín, y nosotros tumbamos la puerta de una patada. Yo tumbo un árbol con la sierra, y ellos tumban a su rival en el juego. Tumbar is part of everyday life, because knock down is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with tumbar
These are the errors learners actually make with tumbar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo tumba la pared del jardín.” Right: “Yo tumbo la pared del jardín.” Why: The person matters: tumba is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is tumbo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo tumbo un árbol con la sierra.” Right: “Ayer yo tumbé un árbol con la sierra.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: tumbo is happening now, while tumbé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating tumbar and tumbarse as identical in every context.” Right: “Tumbar means to knock down, while tumbarse means to lie down.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tumbar fits sentences such as Tumbo la pared del jardín, while tumbarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy tumbado un árbol con la sierra.” Right: “Yo he tumbado un árbol con la sierra.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tumbado, has tumbado, ha tumbado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo tumbé a su rival en el juego todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo tumbaba a su rival en el juego todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (tumbaba), not the preterite. The preterite (tumbé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: tumbar in use
Ten questions on tumbar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la pared del jardín.” (You knock down the garden wall.)
- (a) tumbáis
- (b) tumbo
- (c) tumbas
Answer: tumbáis — The vosotros/as form of tumbar in the present tense is tumbáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un árbol con la sierra.” (They knock down a tree with the saw.)
- (a) tumbas
- (b) tumban
- (c) tumbo
Answer: tumban — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of tumbar in the present tense is tumban.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ la pared del jardín.” (Yesterday I knocked down the garden wall.)
- (a) tumbaste
- (b) tumbó
- (c) tumbé
Answer: tumbé — In the preterite, the yo form of tumbar is tumbé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ un árbol con la sierra.” (Before, he used to knock down a tree with the saw.)
- (a) tumbaba
- (b) tumbo
- (c) tumbabas
Answer: tumbaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of tumbar is tumbaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ a su rival en el juego.” (Tomorrow we will knock down his rival in the game.)
- (a) tumbarás
- (b) tumbaremos
- (c) tumbaré
Answer: tumbaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of tumbar is tumbaremos.
6. What does tumbar mean in English?
- (a) to knock down
- (b) to trot, to jog
- (c) to lie down
Answer: to knock down — Tumbar means “to knock down”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo tumba la pared del jardín.
- (b) Ellos tumba un árbol con la sierra.
- (c) Yo tumbo la pared del jardín.
Answer: Yo tumbo la pared del jardín. — “Yo tumbo la pared del jardín.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I knock down the garden wall.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre tumba la puerta de una patada.
- (b) Tumbo la pared del jardín.
- (c) Tumban la pared del jardín.
Answer: Tumbo la pared del jardín. — “Tumbo la pared del jardín.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of tumbar in the present tense?
- (a) tumbo
- (b) tumbas
- (c) tumbamos
Answer: tumbamos — The nosotros form is tumbamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros tumbaremos a su rival en el juego.
- (b) Tumbo la pared del jardín.
- (c) Ayer, yo tumbé la pared del jardín.
Answer: Tumbo la pared del jardín. — “Tumbo la pared del jardín.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I knock down the garden wall' in Spanish?
Say 'Tumbo la pared del jardín'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Tumbo la pared del jardín todos los días'.
How do you say 'He knocks down a tree with the saw' in Spanish?
Say 'Él tumba un árbol con la sierra'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes tumba.
What is the difference between tumbar and tumbarse?
Tumbar means to knock down, while tumbarse means to lie down. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use tumbar when you mean to knock down, as in 'Tumbo la pared del jardín', and use tumbarse for to lie down.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tumbar — every tense of tumbar in one place.
- Tumbar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on tumbar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of tumbar until they are automatic.