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tumbar

toom-BARtumˈbaɾ

to knock down, to knock over

Also: to tip over
VerbA2regular ar
A row of colorful toy blocks being knocked over by a small wooden ball.
gerundtumbando
past Participletumbado
infinitivetumbar

📝 In Action

El viento tumbó varios árboles en el parque.

A2

The wind knocked down several trees in the park.

Ten cuidado o vas a tumbar el jarrón.

A2

Be careful or you are going to knock over the vase.

El boxeador tumbó a su oponente en el primer asalto.

B1

The boxer knocked his opponent down in the first round.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • tumbar la puerta – to break down the door
  • tumbar a alguien – to floor someone

to lie down, to stretch out

VerbB1regular ar
A happy dog lying down on a soft green rug in a cozy room.
gerundtumbándose
past Participletumbado
infinitivetumbarse

📝 In Action

Me voy a tumbar un rato en el sofá.

A2

I'm going to lie down for a bit on the sofa.

Estaba tumbado en la playa tomando el sol.

B1

He was lying on the beach sunbathing.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • acostarse (to go to bed/lie down)
  • reclinarse (to recline)

Antonyms

  • levantarse (to get up)
  • ponerse de pie (to stand up)

Common Collocations

  • tumbarse a la bartola – to lie around idly

to fail, to reject

Also: to scrap
VerbB2regular ar
Spain
A sad student looking at a paper with a large red cross on it.
gerundtumbando
past Participletumbado
infinitivetumbar

📝 In Action

El profesor me tumbó en el examen final.

B2

The teacher flunked me in the final exam.

El tribunal tumbó la nueva ley por ser inconstitucional.

C1

The court threw out the new law for being unconstitutional.

Tumbamos el proyecto porque era demasiado caro.

B2

We scrapped the project because it was too expensive.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • tumbar una propuesta – to reject a proposal
  • tumbar un examen – to fail an exam

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yotumbara
tútumbaras
él/ella/ustedtumbara
nosotrostumbáramos
vosotrostumbarais
ellos/ellas/ustedestumbaran

Present Subjunctive

yotumbe
tútumbes
él/ella/ustedtumbe
nosotrostumbemos
vosotrostumbéis
ellos/ellas/ustedestumben

Indicative

Preterite

yotumbé
tútumbaste
él/ella/ustedtumbó
nosotrostumbamos
vosotrostumbasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedestumbaron

Imperfect

yotumbaba
tútumbabas
él/ella/ustedtumbaba
nosotrostumbábamos
vosotrostumbabais
ellos/ellas/ustedestumbaban

Present

yotumbo
tútumbas
él/ella/ustedtumba
nosotrostumbamos
vosotrostumbáis
ellos/ellas/ustedestumban
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "tumbar" in Spanish:

to fail→to reject→to scrap→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: tumbar

Question 1 of 3

If you want to say 'I am going to lie down on the sofa,' which is correct?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
tumbado(lying down) — Adjective
tumbona(deck chair) — Noun
tumbao(rhythm/swing) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Likely onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of something heavy falling (tumb!). It is also related to the word 'tumba' (grave), as in putting something into the ground.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: tombarFrench: tomber

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'tumbar' the same as 'acostar'?

Not exactly. 'Acostar' usually refers to the routine of going to bed for sleep. 'Tumbar' is the physical act of lying down or knocking something over.

Can I use 'tumbar' for a computer system crashing?

Yes! You can say 'Se tumbó el sistema' in some regions to mean the server or system went down.

Is it a regular verb?

Yes, it follows the standard pattern for -ar verbs in all tenses.