romperse

Romperse is a pronominal Spanish verb meaning to break or to be broken, and it is used to indicate that the subject experiences a break or damage, often as the result of an accident or wear. It can refer to parts of the body as well as to objects.

Unlike romper, which is transitive and takes a direct object (romper algo), romperse emphasizes the break occurring to the thing itself or to the person. The verb is commonly used with reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os, se) to express that something happens to the subject, sometimes with an accompanying indirect object pronoun to indicate whose item is affected (me se rompió; se me rompió).

Conjugation and usage notes: in the present tense, it is me rompo, te rompes, se rompe, nos rompemos, os rompéis, se rompen. In the preterite, me rompí, te rompiste, se rompió, nos rompimos, os rompisteis, se rompieron. The form used with a body part typically includes a definite article for the affected part, as in me rompí la pierna.

Common contexts include injuries (me rompí la muñeca), accidental damage to objects (se me rompió la taza), or wear and failure of equipment (se rompió la cuerda). The expression also appears in idioms such as romperse la cabeza (to rack one’s brains) or romperse los esquemas (to have one’s assumptions shattered). In general, romperse conveys involuntary or unintended breakage, whereas romper may imply a broader, non-reflexive action.

See also: romper, fracturarse, quebrarse.