se rompió
/se ɾompjo/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "it broke" is se rompió.
This phrase is used to describe an object that has smashed or separated into pieces. While se rompió is a general term for breaking, you can be more specific: use se quebró if you mean "it cracked" and se hizo añicos if you mean "it shattered".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase se ha roto is commonly used to express that something has broken. In some Latin American countries, you may hear se partió or se quebró used to denote that something broke.
How do you pronounce it?
/se ɾompjo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly omit the reflexive pronoun se and say only rompió. Using only rompió implies that someone broke something else, rather than the object itself breaking.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase se rompió treats the object as if it broke itself. This grammatical structure is often used to avoid blaming a person for an accident.
- The word se in se rompió actually evolved from the Latin word illī, which originally meant 'to him' or 'for him'.
Examples in context
- A Tom se le cayó un plato y se rompió.Tom dropped a dish and it broke.This sentence shows how to describe a dish breaking after being dropped.Tatoeba #2968908 by hayastan, translation #2642381 by CK
- Había reparado mi reloj, pero se rompió de nuevo.I had had my watch repaired, but it broke again.This sentence describes a watch breaking again after being repaired.Tatoeba #1890582 by teskmon, translation #430039 by witbrock
- El vaso se rompió cuando se cayó al suelo.The glass broke when it fell to the ground.
- La computadora se descompuso de repente.The computer broke down suddenly.
- El bolígrafo se rompió.The pen broke.
- La lámpara se ha roto y no funciona.The lamp has broken and doesn't work.
- La taza se partió en mil pedazos.The cup broke into a thousand pieces.
- El cristal de la ventana se rompió ayer.The window glass broke yesterday.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are looking at a broken toy in the living room.
- LucíaMira el juguete de Mateo, se rompió.Look at Mateo's toy, it broke.
- Mateo¿Se rompió por completo?Did it break completely?
- LucíaSí, se rompió en muchas piezas.Yes, it broke into many pieces.
- MateoQué lástima, era su favorito.What a shame, it was his favorite.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
