The preterite of quebrar is used to express when something broke at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “The window broke during the storm” – “La ventana se quebró durante la tormenta.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. All forms follow the standard -ar endings without any stem changes or spelling adjustments.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Quebrar (to break) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | quebré |
| Tú | quebraste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | quebró |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | quebramos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | quebrasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | quebraron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Quebrar (to break) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Quebrar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of quebrar indicates specific instances of breaking.
To break: Used for specific instances of breaking objects, for example Quebré el vaso (I broke the glass), or Quebraron la ventana (They broke the window).
To go bankrupt: In business context, means to go bankrupt, for example La empresa quebró (The company went bankrupt).
Examples
Examples of Quebrar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Quebré el vaso sin querer. (I broke the glass unintentionally.)
El niño quebró el juguete nuevo. (The child broke the new toy.)
Quebraron la ventana con una piedra. (They broke the window with a stone.)
¿Tú quebraste el espejo? (Did you break the mirror?)
Quebramos el récord de ventas. (We broke the sales record.)
La empresa quebró el año pasado. (The company went bankrupt last year.)
Quebraste todas las reglas. (You broke all the rules.)
Se quebró la rama del árbol. (The tree branch broke.)
Quebraron el silencio con sus risas. (They broke the silence with their laughter.)
Quebré mi promesa sin intención. (I broke my promise unintentionally.)
El banco quebró durante la crisis. (The bank went bankrupt during the crisis.)
Quebramos el hielo con una conversación casual. (We broke the ice with casual conversation.)
Quebraste el plato favorito de mamá. (You broke mom’s favorite plate.)
Los manifestantes quebraron las barreras. (The protesters broke through the barriers.)
El terremoto quebró las paredes. (The earthquake cracked the walls.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Quebrar (to break) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo quebré | I broke |
| Tú quebraste | You broke |
| Él / Ella / Usted quebró | He / She / You (formal) broke |
| Nosotros / Nosotras quebramos | We broke |
| Vosotros / Vosotras quebrasteis | You all broke |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes quebraron | They / You all (formal) broke |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.