The preterite of romper is used to express when someone broke something at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I broke the glass accidentally” – “Rompí el vaso accidentalmente.”
This verb follows the regular -er conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It can be used for both physical breaking of objects and metaphorical breaking of rules or promises.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Romper (to break) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | rompí |
| Tú | rompiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | rompió |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | rompimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | rompisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | rompieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Romper (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 Romper in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of romper indicates completed acts of breaking.
To break: Used for breaking objects, for example Rompí el vaso (I broke the glass).
To break up/end: Refers to ending relationships or agreements, for example Rompieron el contrato (They broke the contract).
Examples
Examples of Romper in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Rompí accidentalmente el jarrón. (I accidentally broke the vase.)
¿Quién rompió la ventana? (Who broke the window?)
Se rompió el plato cuando lo lavaba. (The plate broke when I was washing it.)
Rompimos el récord de ventas. (We broke the sales record.)
Los niños rompieron el juguete nuevo. (The children broke the new toy.)
Rompiste tu promesa. (You broke your promise.)
El atleta rompió la marca mundial. (The athlete broke the world record.)
Rompimos el silencio después de horas. (We broke the silence after hours.)
Se rompió el contrato ayer. (The contract was broken yesterday.)
Rompieron las negociaciones. (They broke off the negotiations.)
Rompí con mi pareja la semana pasada. (I broke up with my partner last week.)
¿Por qué rompiste el papel? (Why did you tear the paper?)
El equipo rompió la racha perdedora. (The team broke the losing streak.)
Rompimos todas las reglas ese día. (We broke all the rules that day.)
Las olas rompieron contra las rocas. (The waves broke against the rocks.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Romper (to break) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo rompí | I broke |
| Tú rompiste | You broke |
| Él / Ella / Usted rompió | He / She / You (formal) broke |
| Nosotros / Nosotras rompimos | We broke |
| Vosotros / Vosotras rompisteis | You all broke |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes rompieron | 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.