Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| лома́ть | lomátʹ | imperfective |
| разбива́ть | razbivátʹ | imperfective |
| разби́ть | razbítʹ | perfective |
| слома́ть | slomátʹ | perfective |
In Russian, the choice of verb depends on how the object breaks. Use лома́ть or слома́ть when something breaks through structural failure, such as snapping a stick or a machine failing. Use разбива́ть or разбить when something breaks by shattering or smashing into many pieces, which is typical for fragile objects like glass, ceramic or eggs. Additionally, слома́ть is the standard verb used specifically when talking about breaking a bone.
Which one should you use?
The verbs are divided into imperfective and perfective pairs. For breaking through structural failure (snapping/bending), use the imperfective лома́ть or the perfective слома́ть. For breaking by shattering or smashing into many pieces, use the imperfective разбива́ть or the perfective разбить.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The perfective form разбить is used to indicate the completed action of shattering an object.
How do you pronounce it?
lomátʹ
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use лома́ть for abstract concepts like 'breaking a heart' or 'breaking a promise'. In Russian, you should use different verbs for these, such as разбивать сердце for 'breaking a heart' or нарушать обещание for 'breaking a promise'.
Did you know?
- The word разбить can also mean 'to plant' a garden or 'to layout' a park, as if breaking the land into organized sections.
- While English uses 'break' for a record, Russian uses побить, which literally means 'to beat' or 'to strike'.
- Russian has a specific distinction for 'breaking' a fast, using the verb разговеться, which is entirely different from the verbs for breaking objects.
Examples in context
- Давайте сделаем небольшой перерыв, чтобы отдохнуть и продолжить работу.Let's take a short break to rest and continue working.
- Не надо лома́ть ветки деревьев.Ne nado lomat' vetki derev'yev.You shouldn't break tree branches.
- Она боится лома́ть свои игру́шки.Ona boyitsya lomat' svoi igrushki.She is afraid of breaking her toys.
Example conversation
Dmitry and Anastasia are helping in the garden.
- Дмитрий DmitryАнастаси́я, не надо лома́ть эти сухие па́лки.Anastasiya, ne nado lomat' eti sukhie palki.Anastasia, don't break these dry sticks.
- Анастасия AnastasiaПочему? Они всё равно меша́ют.Pochemu? Oni vsyo ravno meshayut.Why? They are in the way anyway.
- Дмитрий DmitryМы используем их для костра.My ispol'zuyem ikh dlya kostra.We are using them for the campfire.
- Анастасия AnastasiaХорошо, я больше не буду их лома́ть.Khorosho, ya bol'she ne budu ikh lomat'.Okay, I won't break them anymore.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “break” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
