tropeCEmos

Tropecemos is the first-person plural form of the present subjunctive of the Spanish verb tropezar, which means to trip or stumble. It also functions as the affirmative imperative for the nosotros form, meaning “let’s trip” or “let’s stumble,” depending on context.

Grammatical role and usage. In standard Spanish, tropecemos is primarily used to express actions in the present subjunctive mood, often in clauses following verbs of desire, doubt, necessity, or possibility. It can appear in exhortative or formal contexts as the nosotros command form, though this usage is comparatively uncommon in everyday speech. Examples of the subjunctive sense include: “Espero que tropecemos con cuidado” (I hope we trip/face difficulties with care) or “Quizá tropecemos menos si prestamos atención.” The imperative sense, “let’s trip,” is grammatically correct but stylistically unusual and rare outside of literary or playful language.

Meanings and nuances. The literal sense of tropezar is physical stumbling. In combination with different prepositions, it can shift meaning: with con it often conveys “to stumble upon” or “to encounter by chance,” a distinct sense from a direct physical stumble. The form tropecemos itself carries the same range of meanings, determined by context and accompanying words.

Pronunciation and morphology. Tropecemos has the stress on the third syllable: tro-pe-CE-mos in standard Spanish. It is the nosotros form of the present subjunctive, and related forms exist for other persons as part of the regular -ar verb conjugation patterns in the present subjunctive.

See also. Tropezar, present subjunctive conjugation, and the verb’s idiomatic uses with con.