What is the Past tense of Break?

“Break” is a versatile word in English, particularly relevant for describing disruptions, interruptions, or physical damages.

Its usage extends from talking about a simple coffee cup falling to the ground to more abstract concepts like taking a break from work.

“Break” is fundamentally a verb that denotes a fracture, separation, or discontinuity in something.

The past tense of “break” is “broke,” and the past participle is “broken.”

What is the past tense of “break”?

Break (verb):

(1) To cause something to separate into pieces, usually suddenly or violently.(2) To interrupt or halt a process or period.

Infinitive: to break Simple Past: broke Past Participle: broken

Conjugation Table for “Break”

Pronoun	Infinitive	Simple Past	Present Perfect	Present Continuous
I	break	broke	have broken	am breaking
You (sing.)	break	broke	have broken	are breaking
He/She/It	breaks	broke	has broken	is breaking
We	break	broke	have broken	are breaking
You (pl.)	break	broke	have broken	are breaking
They	break	broke	have broken	are breaking

Example Sentences

(1) To cause something to separate into pieces, usually suddenly or violently.

• I dropped the vase, and it broke.
• The kids broke the window while playing cricket.
• She accidentally broke her glasses and couldn’t see clearly.

(2) To interrupt or halt a process or period.

• We decided to break our journey and stay overnight in a small town.
• He took a moment to break his concentration and rest his eyes.
• We usually break for lunch at 1 PM.

Focus: Past Tense of Break

“Break” is a word we often encounter, which is why English learners should familiarize themselves with its various past tense forms.

Simple Past

• I broke my phone’s screen last night.
• The news broke, causing widespread panic.
• We broke our previous record at the event.

Present Perfect

• The vase has broken into many pieces.
• She has broken her previous records in athletics.
• The storm has broken several power lines.

Past Continuous

• The ice was breaking beneath their feet.
• The dawn was breaking, revealing a beautiful horizon.
• The students were breaking into groups for the project.

Past Perfect

• Before the mechanic arrived, I had already broken the engine.
• They had broken all communication before arriving at the decision.
• She had broken many barriers before becoming the CEO.

Understanding the Verb “Break”

The verb “break” has its roots in Old English “brecan”, which means “to break, shatter, burst.” It conveys both physical and metaphorical damage or interruption.

Phrasal Verbs with “Break”

• Break up: To end a relationship or to disperse.
• Example: “After five years, they decided to break up.”

• Break in: To enter a place forcibly.
• Example: “Burglars broke in last night.”

• Break down: To stop functioning or to become emotionally upset.
• Example: “The car broke down in the middle of the highway.”

Nuances in Usage

Break vs. Shatter: While “break” implies causing something to separate into parts, “shatter” suggests breaking into many tiny pieces.

Break + Time Phrases: Commonly used with time-related phrases.

Example: “Let’s break for ten minutes.”

Common Mistakes

• Incorrect: I break my favorite mug last week.
• Correct: I broke my favorite mug last week.

• Incorrect: The window has been break.
• Correct: The window has been broken.

• Incorrect: We breaked for lunch.
• Correct: We broke for lunch.

In Summary

The verb “break” is abundant in English, encapsulating both literal and figurative nuances. Using “break” correctly across different contexts underlines a sophisticated understanding of English.

We also have a full list of irregular verbs from A – Z on the site which you can access from the link here.

You can check other past tense words and our past tense resources by clicking on the links in the table below and in the resource list below that.

Table 2: Table of Links for irregular Past Tense Verbs

bend	meet	copy	beat
lay	draw	buy	Fly
Drink	Think	wear	dive
rise	dream	Speak	bite
bear	begin	freeze	sink
get	give	take	sing
learn	keep	find	be
say	catch	eat	come
go	know	do	cut
drive	fall	let	make
pay	read	build	become
forget	break	bleed

We also have articles and worksheets which we will link examples of below, and if you need more you can try the search box.

• Free Simple Past Tense Worksheets
• irregular verb list
• Simple Present Tense Worksheets
• Regular and irregular past tense worksheets
• Free online past tense games.
• Present perfect tense worksheets
• Simple Future tense worksheets
• irregular Past Tense Verb list
• Simple Past tense ‘ed’ ending rules and handouts