Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the specific nuance or state you wish to convey. Use 壊れている to describe the general state of being broken. Use 壊れました to politely state that something has broken. Use 故障しました specifically for technical malfunctions or equipment failure. If you want to imply that something was broken accidentally, use the informal 壊れちゃった. If you want to emphasize that something has become unusable, use the informal 使えなくなった.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For general polite conversation, use 壊れています (kowarete imasu) when speaking to strangers, customers or superiors. In casual, informal conversation, you can use 壊れちゃった or the shortened 壊れてる (kowareteru), which is a common way to drop the 'i' in 'iru' during speech. For formal, technical contexts such as reporting a machine failure, 故障しました is the most appropriate choice.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 壊れている utilizes the ~te iru form to describe a continuous state that resulted from a past action.
How do you pronounce it?
kowarete iru
Did you know?
- If you want to express that a rule or a social custom has been 'broken' or violated, you would not use 壊れる, but rather 破る (yaburu).
- In Japan, when an expensive item is 壊れている, people may use the phrase もったいない to express a sense of regret that the object's inherent value is being wasted.
- While 壊れている is used for physical objects, if you say a person is 壊れている, it implies they are mentally or emotionally 'broken' or socially inept.
Examples in context
- すみません、このドアが壊れました。I'm sorry, but this door is broken.
- エアコンが故障しましたので、修理してください。The air conditioner is broken, so please repair it.
- あ、これ壊れちゃった！Oh no, this got broken!
- 友達のギターがバキバキになっちゃった。My friend's guitar got completely broken.
- この時計、もう使えなくなったんだ。This watch is not working anymore.
- 窓が壊れている。Mado ga kowarete iru.The window is broken.
- この時計は壊れているみたいです。Kono tokei wa kowarete iru mitai desu.It looks like this watch is broken.
- おもちゃが壊れているので、直してください。Omocha ga kowarete iru node, naoshite kudasai.The toy is broken, so please fix it.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are looking at a broken computer in their living room.
- 蓮 Renパソコンが壊れているよ。Pasokon ga kowarete iru yo.The computer is broken.
- 美咲 Misaki本当？どうしたの？Hontō? Dō shita no?Really? What happened?
- 蓮 Ren電源が入らないんだ。Dengen ga hairanai n da.It won't turn on.
- 美咲 Misaki修理に出そう。Shūri ni dasō.Let's take it in for repair.
