estropear
“estropear” means “to damage or break” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to damage or break
Also: to mess up
📝 In Action
He estropeado mi teléfono nuevo.
A2I have damaged my new phone.
Si tocas eso, vas a estropear el motor.
B1If you touch that, you're going to break the motor.
La lluvia estropeó la pintura de la casa.
B1The rain ruined the house's paint job.
to ruin or spoil
Also: to go bad
📝 In Action
Tu actitud estropeó la fiesta.
B1Your attitude ruined the party.
La lluvia estropeó nuestros planes para el picnic.
B1The rain spoiled our plans for the picnic.
La leche se estropeó porque no estaba en la nevera.
B2The milk went bad because it wasn't in the fridge.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: estropear
Question 1 of 3
If your car stops working because the engine is damaged, which word is most natural?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Old Italian word 'stroppiare', which meant to cripple or maim, eventually evolving to mean damaging objects or ruining plans in Spanish.
First recorded: 17th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'romper' and 'estropear'?
'Romper' usually means something broke into pieces (like a glass) or snapped. 'Estropear' means it's damaged, doesn't work, or is ruined (like a computer or a plan).
Can I use 'estropear' for people?
Only figuratively. You can 'estropear' someone's day or 'estropear' a child by overindulging them (spoiling them), though 'mimar' is more common for children.
Is it a regular verb?
Yes! It follows all the standard rules for -ar verbs in all tenses.