romper
/romˈpeɾ/
To break in Spanish is romper.
romper is used to describe separating something into pieces by force or causing an object to stop working. When the phrase romper con is used followed by a person, it takes on the idiomatic meaning of ending a romantic relationship, much like the English phrase 'to break up with'.
Which one should you use?
While romper can be used for physically breaking an object, using it with the preposition 'con' and a person changes the meaning to breaking up a relationship.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, the verb quebrar is often used to mean 'to break'.
How does it change in a sentence?
romper is an irregular verb in the preterite tense. For example, the third-person singular form for 'he/she/it broke' is rompió. The past participle is roto, which can be used as an adjective or to form perfect tenses.
How do you pronounce it?
/romˈpeɾ/
Did you know?
- While romper means to break, the phrase romperse la cabeza literally means 'to break one's head' but actually describes the act of thinking very hard about a difficult problem.
- In a business context in Latin America, you may hear the verb quebrar used to describe a company that has gone bankrupt. In this sense, it means the business has 'broken' financially.
- The word romper comes from the Latin verb rumpere, which is also the ancestor of English words like 'interrupt' and 'corrupt'.
Examples in context
- Tom va a romper con Mary.Tom is going to break up with Mary.This sentence shows how to use romper to express breaking up with someone.Tatoeba #1412020 by jabujavi, translation #1093478 by CK
- No quiero romper contigo.I don't want to break up with you.This sentence uses romper to express not wanting to break up with someone.Tatoeba #2160464 by Shishir, translation #2016608 by CK
- El decidió romper con ella.He decided to break up with her.This sentence uses romper to describe the decision to break up with someone.Tatoeba #11385466 by Jeigmz, translation #8531780 by CH
- Es importante no romper las reglas.It's important not to break the rules.
- Si no tienes cuidado, puedes romper los objetos frágiles.If you're not careful, you can break fragile items.
- Lamentablemente, se fracturó una pierna en el accidente.Unfortunately, he broke a leg in the accident.
- El especialista advirtió que cualquier movimiento brusco podría fracturar la articulación.The specialist warned that any sudden movement could fracture the joint.
- Se me rompió el celular. ¿Sabes cómo arreglarlo?My phone broke. Do you know how to fix it?
- Si no tienes cuidado, la jarra se rompe fácilmente.If you're not careful, the pitcher breaks easily.
- ¡Cuidado, no pises esa rama, se puede partir!Watch out, don't step on that branch, it might break!
- Necesito comprar un lápiz nuevo, ¡este se partió!I need to buy a new pencil, this one broke!
- El vaso se cayó y ahora está roto.The glass fell and now it's broken.
- Mis zapatillas se han roto, necesito comprar unas nuevas.My sneakers have broken, I need to buy new ones.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are in the kitchen.
- SofíaDaniel, ten cuidado con ese vaso.Daniel, be careful with that glass.
- DanielNo te preocupes, no voy a romper nada.Don't worry, I am not going to break anything.
- SofíaEs que es muy frágil.It's just that it is very fragile.
- DanielLo sé, no quiero romper el vaso.I know, I don't want to break the glass.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry romper, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries romper, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
