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Break, Broke, Broken (Tenses of ‘Break’)

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Elan Yash

Elan is head of design and tech. He's also a contributor at Grammarflex.
The verb to break used in text conversation. Made by Gflex on Canva.
The verb to break used in text conversation. By Gflex on Canva.

Break, broke, broken: What’s the difference?

‍Break, broke, or broken—what’s the difference between each conjugation of the (irregular) verb, break?

✓I’ll break the chocolate in half.

✓I broke the chocolate.

✗I broken the chocolate.

Break (verb) is described in the dictionary as, “to come apart or split into pieces : fragment, shatter. The cup broke when it fell.”

present past future
simple I break I broke I will break
continuous I am breaking I was breaking I will be breaking
perfect I have broken I had broken I will have broken
perfect continuous I have been breaking I had been breaking I will have been breaking
12 verb tenses of ‘break‘.

💡Grammar Tip

Remember to always pair participles with an auxiliary! For perfect tenses, use ‘have’, ‘has’, or ‘had’. For continuous, use a form of ‘to be’.

Usage note: broke

The simple past tense of break, which is broke, is regularly used as an adjective to describe not having enough money, or any money, as in, ‘the company wentbroke.’ Also, ‘I can’t go out anymore, otherwise I’ll go broke. 

Is break a regular or irregular verb?

The simple past tense of ‘break‘ (rhymes with wake) is broke (rhymes with woke). The past participle is broken (rhymes with woken). Break has 3 forms altogether: break, broke, and broken. Break is not the only irregular verb in English with 3 verb forms:

base verb past tense past participle
wear wore worn
tear tore torn
swear swore sworn
steal stole stolen
break broke broken
Irregular verbs (with one present, past and past participle form).

Regular verbs in English end in -ed in its past tense forms. Break, in its past tense forms, clearly does not end in -ed. So break (along with each of the verbs listed above, and more) are treated as irregular verbs in English.

Broke vs broken: which to use when

Read these sentences:

I broke my leg skiing. (simple past)

I heard that Bob and Lucy havebroken up. (past participle)

The sentence with the past participle broken places have in italics. This tells us that broken is indeed a participle: participles follow a helpingverb or auxiliaryverb (such as have, has, would) to reflect tense, voice, count, and other verbal information. Try removing the ‘have‘ from the sentence, and it won’t make sense: I heard that Bob and Lucy broken up. Here, you’d switch to the simple past, i.e., broke, to correct the sentence. The pastparticiple also requires sentence objects (direct or indirect), and is communicated in the passivevoice (as opposed to active).

‍

“Break” / “broke” / “broken”, used in sentences

Examples: break / breaks / breaking
2. I’ve been getting the feeling she is trying to break us up.
3. Early cars tried to be faster and faster, to break the 60 mph barrier.
4. I always heard marriage could break up a good friendship.
5. If you break it, you replace it.
Examples: broke / broken
1. He rubbed his eyes and a smile broke across his face.
2. So that was how he broke his nose.
3. No one broke the silence.
4. She broke down and called a lawyer.
5. Her voice broke and she stopped, wiping her eyes.

1. She died of a broken heart.
2. The case was broken and the keys are nearly all out.
3. You are like me, too broken to pretend not to be.
4. They had broken the rules.
5. You don’t sound very broken up about it.

Origin of the word break

From etymology online on break (v.):

Old English brecan “to divide solid matter violently into parts or fragments; to injure, violate (a promise, etc.), destroy, curtail; to break into, rush into; to burst forth, spring out; to subdue, tame” from Proto-Germanic *brekanan.

Types of verbs & verb tenses what’s the past tense of …?
forms of ‘to be’ … seek?
auxiliary verbs … teach?
present tense … catch?
future tense … buy?
past tense … read?
perfect tense … draw?
transitive vs. intransitive … drive?
participles … throw?
irregular verbs … lead?
modals … win?

Worksheet: Irregular verbs

Question 1 of 10

What is the simple past tense of “break”?

Which sentence uses “broken” correctly?

Is “break” a regular or irregular verb?

What is the past participle of “break”?

Which sentence uses the past tense of “break” correctly?

The vase into pieces.

My phone screen is .

He had his leg.

The news report said the company went .

I my ankle during the game.

FAQs

Is “break” a regular or irregular verb?
+

“Break” is an irregular verb. Regular verbs form their past tense by adding “-ed,” but “break” uses “broke” (past simple) and “broken” (past participle). This irregularity is common in English,.

What’s the past tense of “break”?
+

The simple past tense of “break” is “broke,” as in “I broke my leg.” The past participle is “broken,” used with helping verbs like “have” (e.g., “I have broken my phone”). Confusing these forms.

How do I use “broke” vs. “broken”?
+

“Broke” is the simple past tense (“I broke the vase”). “Broken” is the past participle, used with auxiliary verbs like “have” (“I have broken the vase”) or in passive voice (“The vase was.

What are the three forms of “break”?
+

The three forms of “break” are: “break” (present tense), “broke” (simple past tense), and “broken” (past participle). Mastering these three forms is essential for correctly using this common,.

Can “broke” be used as an adjective?
+

Yes, “broke” can also function as an adjective meaning having no money, as in “The company went broke.” This usage is distinct from its role as the simple past tense of the verb “to break,”.

Yash, D. "What’s the Past Tense of Break? (Break, Broke, Broken?)." Grammarflex, Jun 25, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-past-tense-of-break-break-broke-broken/.

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