Use 壊れる to describe something breaking or failing.
The idea
壊れる is an intransitive ichidan verb. The thing that breaks is the subject, usually marked by が; 壊れている often describes its resulting broken state. Drop る before adding ます or て.
| Dictionary form | Polite non-past | Polite negative | Polite past | て form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 壊れる | 壊れます | 壊れません | 壊れました | 壊れて |
Examples
- 時計が昨日壊れました。The clock broke yesterday.
- この傘は壊れています。This umbrella is broken.
- 古い車がまた壊れました。The old car broke down again.
- 落とすと、コップが壊れます。If you drop it, the cup will break.
- エアコンが壊れて、部屋が暑いです。The air conditioner broke, and the room is hot.
- このおもちゃは簡単には壊れません。This toy does not break easily.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
Do not use を to mark the broken thing as its direct object. 壊す is transitive and names an agent breaking something; 壊れる itself does not say who caused it.
Try it yourself
Write the polite non-past form. ＿。（壊れる→ます）
Show answer or example answer
壊れます
壊れます is the polite non-past: remove る and add ます.
Write the て form. ＿。（壊れる→て）
Show answer or example answer
壊れて
壊れて is the て form: replace る with て.
Choose the particle. 時計＿壊れました。（が／を）
Show answer or example answer
が
が marks 時計 as the subject undergoing the change.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the polite non-past form. ＿。（壊れる→ます）
Write the て form. ＿。（壊れる→て）
Choose the particle. 時計＿壊れました。（が／を）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Describe a broken object, then change your sentence from past to the resulting state.