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ITALIAN VERB

rompere

to break

  • #135 most used
  • Irregular -ere verb
  • Past participle: rotto
  • Gerund: rompendo

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I break
  2. tu you break
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she breaks
  4. noi we break
  5. voi you all break
  6. loro they break

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I broke
  2. tu you broke
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she broke
  4. noi we broke
  5. voi you all broke
  6. loro they broke

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to break
  2. tu you used to break
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to break
  4. noi we used to break
  5. voi you all used to break
  6. loro they used to break

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will break
  2. tu you will break
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will break
  4. noi we will break
  5. voi you all will break
  6. loro they will break

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would break
  2. tu you would break
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would break
  4. noi we would break
  5. voi you all would break
  6. loro they would break

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I break
  2. tu (that) you break
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she break
  4. noi (that) we break
  5. voi (that) you all break
  6. loro (that) they break

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu break!
  2. Lei break! (formal)
  3. noi break! (let’s)
  4. voi break! (all of you)

How to use rompere

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    I bambini rompono sempre qualcosa in casa.

    The kids always break something at home.

  2. Past

    Ho rotto un bicchiere mentre lavavo i piatti.

    I broke a glass while doing the dishes.

  3. Imperfect

    Da piccolo rompeva tutti i giocattoli in un giorno.

    As a child he broke all his toys in a day.

  4. Future

    Se lo lasci lì, lo romperai di sicuro.

    If you leave it there, you'll break it for sure.

  5. Conditional

    Non romperei il salvadanaio per una pizza.

    I wouldn't break open the piggy bank for a pizza.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Ho paura che il gatto rompa il vaso.

    I'm afraid the cat will break the vase.

  7. Imperative

    Non rompere le uova, servono per la torta.

    Don't break the eggs, they're for the cake.

Good to know

  • Rompersi is to break down or get broken: si è rotta la lavatrice.
  • Non rompere! among friends is "stop bugging me".

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -ere verb.