me tropecé
/me tɾopeθe/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I tripped" is said as me tropecé.
The phrase me tropecé is used when you catch your foot on an object and lose your balance. If you want to specify the object you tripped on, you must use the preposition con after the verb (tropezar con).
Which one should you use?
While me tropecé specifically describes the act of catching your foot and losing balance, the phrase me caí is used more generally to mean "I fell."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the reflexive pronoun me because the action of tripping is treated as something that happens to the subject's own body and balance.
How do you pronounce it?
/me tɾopeθe/
Did you know?
- The noun form tropiezo is frequently used in Spanish news and politics to describe a public scandal or a professional failure rather than a physical stumble.
- Spanish speakers use the phrase tropezar con la misma piedra to describe someone who repeatedly makes the same mistake, literally meaning 'to trip on the same stone'.
- The pronoun me in this phrase is a direct descendant of the Latin accusative mē, which was the form used for 'me' in ancient Rome.
Examples in context
- Me tropecé con el felpudo cuando entré a la casa.I tripped over the mat when I came in the house.This sentence shows how to use me tropecé with the preposition con to indicate the object tripped over.Tatoeba #1637283 by teskmon, translation #1433781 by CK
- Me tropecé con una piedra, torciéndome el tobillo.I tripped on a stone, twisting my ankle.This sentence illustrates how to use me tropecé to explain the cause of an injury.Tatoeba #1242996 by marcelostockle, translation #259011 by AlanF_US
- Me tropecé.I tripped.This is a simple way to state that you tripped using me tropecé.Tatoeba #4526802 by cueyayotl, translation #2111794 by CK
- Tropecé con una piedra y me caíI tripped over a stone and fell
- Sufrí una caída debido a que tropecé con una raíz del árbolI suffered a fall because I tripped over a tree root
- ¿Sabes qué? Me tropecé con una silla en el pasilloYou know what? I tripped over a chair in the hallway
- Ayer salí corriendo y me comí un trompazo en la aceraYesterday, I was running and I tripped hard on the sidewalk
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are walking in a park.
- Sofía¡Ay! Me tropecé con esa raíz.Ouch! I tripped on that root.
- Javier¿Estás bien, Sofía?Are you okay, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, solo fue un susto.Yes, it was just a scare.
- JavierMenos mal, ten más cuidado.Thankfully, be more careful.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
