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SPANISH VERB

descomponerse

to break down

  • #428 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Gerund: descomponiéndose
  • Past participle: descompuesto

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. yo I break down
  2. tú you break down
  3. usted, él, ella he/she breaks down
  4. nosotros we break down
  5. vosotros Spain you all break down
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they break down

Past

Pretérito indefinido · finished actions

  1. yo I broke down
  2. tú you broke down
  3. usted, él, ella he/she broke down
  4. nosotros we broke down
  5. vosotros Spain you all broke down
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they broke down

Imperfect

Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. yo I used to break down
  2. tú you used to break down
  3. usted, él, ella he/she used to break down
  4. nosotros we used to break down
  5. vosotros Spain you all used to break down
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to break down

Future

Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common

  1. yo I will break down
  2. tú you will break down
  3. usted, él, ella he/she will break down
  4. nosotros we will break down
  5. vosotros Spain you all will break down
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they will break down

Conditional

Condicional · “would”

  1. yo I would break down
  2. tú you would break down
  3. usted, él, ella he/she would break down
  4. nosotros we would break down
  5. vosotros Spain you all would break down
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas they would break down

Present subjunctive

Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”

  1. yo (that) I break down
  2. tú (that) you break down
  3. usted, él, ella (that) he/she break down
  4. nosotros (that) we break down
  5. vosotros Spain (that) you all break down
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they break down

Past subjunctive

Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”

  1. yo (if) I broke down
  2. tú (if) you broke down
  3. usted, él, ella (if) he/she broke down
  4. nosotros (if) we broke down
  5. vosotros Spain (if) you all broke down
  6. ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they broke down

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)

  1. tú break down!
  2. usted break down! (formal)
  3. nosotros break down! (let’s)
  4. vosotros Spain break down! (all of you)
  5. ustedes break down! (all of you)

How to use descomponerse

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

  1. Present

    Esta computadora se descompone cada dos semanas.

    This computer breaks down every two weeks.

  2. Past

    El carro se descompuso a medio camino a Puebla.

    The car broke down halfway to Puebla.

  3. Imperfect

    La lavadora vieja se descomponía cada rato.

    The old washing machine broke down all the time.

  4. Future

    Si no le cambias el aceite, se descompondrá.

    If you don't change the oil, it'll break down.

  5. Conditional

    Un carro nuevo no se descompondría tan seguido.

    A new car wouldn't break down so often.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Ojalá que no se descomponga el aire con este calor.

    I hope the AC doesn't break down in this heat.

  7. Past subjunctive

    Si se descompusiera el camión, tomaríamos un taxi.

    If the bus broke down, we'd take a taxi.

  8. Imperative

    ¡Descomponte otro día, carrito, hoy no, por favor!

    Break down another day, little car, not today, please!

Good to know

  • "Descompuesto" is Mexico's everyday word for broken: "El elevador está descompuesto."
  • "Descomponerse" is also to feel unwell: "Me descompuse en el camión."

Where you hear descomponerse

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Spanish · Beginner Level 3

  • Mi camioneta casi nunca se descompone. My minibus almost never breaks down.
  • La semana pasada se me descompuso la camioneta. Last week my truck broke down.
  • Si no cuidas el carro, se va a descomponer. If you don't look after the car, it's going to break down.
15
A Flat Tyre

Beginner Level 3 · se nos descompuso

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Verbs like this one

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