How did this broken

«It was broken» vs. «It got broken» [duplicate]

I am married/I got married.

I am engaged/I got engaged.

I am surprised/I got surprised.

What’s the difference between these 2 verbs «1.break» and «2. bear»?

These have the same structure above, but different meaning in passive forms using be verbs. One shows a state and the other shows a happening.

1 Answer 1

The word «got» is a notorious word that you should avoid at all cost. You will learn to speak and write better English without it. Though used by a considerable number of native English speakers, I personally consider all such speakers to be unwashed barbarians. I will address this matter more fully later.

The correct way of expressing a particular time when using the verb «to break» is to identify that time while using the past participle form of the verb.

The glass was broken on Tuesday.

The glass was broken at 5:00 p.m.

Likewise for the verb «to bear:»

I was born in 1990.

He was born yesterday.

The correct use of «got»

«Got» is the past-tense form of the verb «to get.» It’s most common correct use is in the context of to retrieve something.

I got the order for you.

I got the flour we need to bake cookies.

However, there is amlost always a better way to say the phrase, especially with written English. For example:

I have your order.

I have the flour we need to bake cookies.

Like most verbs, «to get» should operate on a noun, not another verb. It is wholly wrong for something to «get broke» or «get broken.» Either something «broke» or it «was broken.»

It gained its modern slang use through its definition «to become something.» Notably from the 70s in the U.S., «to get down» (generally, to dance in a modern fashion; after the disco era, to become culturally involved). While not the likely root cause of its use as a connecting verb (to get verbed e.g., «to get broken» meaning «to become broken»), it helped the problem along considerably.

And to show you how slang can continue to evolve, contemporary usage commonly drops the verb «to get.» E.G., «I’m down [with that]» or «are you down [with that]?»)

Therefore, I beg of you, on my hands and knees, whenever you wish to use the word «got,» choose not to. Cheers.

Difference between «did broke» vs. «was broken» vs. «broken»?

How did the window broke?

How was the window broken?

How the window broken?

Do all the above sentences mean same meaning?

Which one is more common?

Please help. Thanks in advance.

2 Answers 2

First off, I want to start off saying that only the second example is an English question; the other examples you’ve listed are written using poor English grammar:

How did the window broke? (Not possible; terrible grammar)

How was the window broken?

How the window broken? (Not possible; terrible grammar)

What you meant to write for the first example is this:

How did the window BREAK?

For the third example, I think you meant to write:

How did the window get broken?

How did the window become broken?

Now to answer your question: after I have corrected the sentences so that they make sense grammatically, all three of your examples mean the same thing. As for which one is said more often, I can only guess as I have no evidence to prove this, but I would say that your first example, after being corrected by me so that it be grammatical, is probably the most common of the three examples:

How did the window break?

I hope that might have helped you out. Take care and good luck.

How did you break / have you broken your leg?

nydag

Member

Hi! I am a bit worried with Past S / Present P contrast when we do not have a context. My examples are:

How (Break)you your leg? By accident?
Oh! They’re here! When (arrive)They?
Look! The window is broken! Someone (break) it!

I mean: all these situations imply that present is influenced by a previous action. When I have just noticed that someone stole my wallet, shouldn’t I say «Someone has stolen my wallet!? (as I cannot pay now).

I don’t know if both Past S and Present P are possible when we are not given the context.

Can anyone help?

Tazzler

Senior Member

¿Cómo te rompiste la pierna? ¿Cómo te has roto la pierna?

Would you say there is a difference between these two sentences?

One of the main uses of the present perfect in English is to talk about experience. If you see someone with a cast on his leg and walking with the help of crutches, you would use the past tense (although, I must admit, this is just a preference on my part). If someone says that he has broken his leg five times, you would use the present perfect. This is how I see the difference.

nydag

Member

ManPaisa

Banned

In Spain Spanish, yes. The first one refers to an event in the not-so-recent past. The second one to an event in the recent past.

I agree with your explanation for the English sentences. The same would apply in my version of Spanish.

waggledook

Senior Member

Hum. it’s not quite so simple I’m afraid.

While we do use the present perfect for past experience, it is only ONE of the many uses.

The present perfect, as Nydag points out, implies some connection to the present. The important issue is the time reference in any given sentence (implied or explicit).

With life experience, the implicit time reference is your entire life, up to the present.
—> I’ve been to Paris 4 times (until now).
—> I went to Paris 4 times last year. (Maybe I’ve been since or had been before).

I think the construction, «I’ve broken my leg», is fine, depending on the context.

Let’s look at your examples more closely.
When (arrive) they?
Imagine the following dialogue:
They’ve arrived (they arrived some time in the past but they are still here).
oh yeah? When did they arrive? (The question is asking for an adverb of time that places the action in the past).
They arrived last night.

the leg situation is similar.
Are you coming to play football?
I can’t, I’ve broken my leg. (The leg is still broken making football impossible. You might also hear, «I broke my leg» where the emphasis is on the past action and not the present consequences.)
Oh yeah? Shit man, that sucks. How did you break it? («How» is asking for an adverb of manner. An adverb of manner that does not modify a present action or state).
I broke it playing football. (playing football is the way I broke it. Obviously I’m not doing it now. The relevant time period is thus in the past and so we use the past simple.)

Another example I give to my students which indicates another problem:

I haven’t seen the film.
Here, I am speaking about past experience. The relevant time reference goes up to the present. This is correct.
I didn’t see the film.
Perhaps the film was in the cinema 6 months ago. Perhaps the time reference is implied, meaning the period during which it was on at the cinema. This period is now over. Accordingly, past simple is also correct.

The distinction between past simple and present perfect is beautiful and simple in theory and you seem to have grasped that distinction. The practice is extremely complex but still logical. Good luck!

American English has a tendency to mess with the system. Sentences such as «I already ate» are common. Such is life. With American English being the dominant contributor to English speaking culture, in time we will, perhaps, give in to these American foibles and the beautiful distinction will be lost. tragic, isn’t it? 😀

Let me know if you have any more queries or other troublesome examples.

Перевод песни Broken (Palaye Royale)

Broken

Разбит

Broken
Broken, you know that I’ve always been

In my head
All this pain
And the words that I cannot say
At least I’m trying
I’m trying to be
The man that you wanted to see

‘Cause I’m tired and I’m hurt
And I always try to put you first
But you say I’m not worth it to you
So why are you worth it to me?

Broken, broken, broken
You know that I’ve always been
Broken, broken, broken
You know that I’ve always been

You break my heart
‘Cause you’re never home
Always with your friends
Always on your phone
I try so hard
But you’re just playing games
I needed you tonight
But you got high again

But I’m tired and I’m hurt
And I always try to put you first
But you say I’m not worth it to you
So why are you worth it to me?

Broken, broken, broken
You know that I’ve always been
Broken, broken, brokеn
You know that I’ve always been
Heartbreaks and mistakеs with no change
How did we become this way?
Broken, broken, broken
You know that I’ve always been

The nights are long
And the days won’t end
No more love between us
Let’s not pretend
You’re going out
And you’re dressing down
It’s so typical
Like you’re someone else
You’re someone else

‘Cause I’m tired and I’m hurt
And I always try to put you first
But I see I’m not broken like you
And you are not broken like me

Broken, broken, broken
You know that we’ve always been
Broken, broken, broken
You know that we’ve always been
Heartbreaks and mistakes with no change
How did we become this way?
Broken, broken, broken
You know that I’ve always been

Разбит
Разбит, ты знаешь, что я всегда был

В моей голове
Вся эта боль
И эти слова, которые я не могу произнести
Как минимум я стараюсь
Я стараюсь быть
Мужчиной, которого ты хотела видеть

Потому что я устал и мне больно
И я всегда стараюсь ставить тебя превыше всего
Но ты говоришь, что я того не стою для тебя
Так почему ты стоишь этого для меня?

Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был
Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был

Ты разбиваешь моё сердце
Потому что тебя никогда нет дома
Постоянно со своими друзьями
Постоянно в своём телефоне
Я так сильно стараюсь
Но ты просто играешь в игры
Я нуждался в тебе сегодня вечером
Но ты снова была под кайфом

Но я устал и мне больно
И я всегда стараюсь ставить тебя превыше всего
Но ты говоришь, что я того не стою для тебя
Так почему ты стоишь этого для меня?

Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был
Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был
Разбитые сердца и ошибки без изменений
Как мы стали такими?
Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был

Длинные ночи
И дни не заканчиваются
Между нами больше нет любви
Давай не будем претворяться
Ты уходишь
И ты устраиваешь разнос
Это так типично
Будто ты это не ты
Ты это не ты

Потому что я устал и мне больно
И я всегда стараюсь ставить тебя превыше всего
Но ты говоришь, что я того не стою для тебя
Так почему ты стоишь этого для меня?

Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был
Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был
Разбитые сердца и ошибки без изменений
Как мы стали такими?
Разбит, разбит, разбит
Ты знаешь, что я всегда был

How to Fix a Broken Heart

This article was co-authored by Sarah Schewitz, PsyD. Sarah Schewitz, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist by the California Board of Psychology with over 10 years of experience. She received her Psy.D. from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2011. She is the founder of Couples Learn, an online psychology practice helping couples and individuals improve and change their patterns in love and relationships.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 17 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status.

This article has been viewed 423,203 times.

Recovering after a break up can be difficult, as you may be filled with a whirlwind of overwhelming emotions. You may struggle to get out of bed and lead a normal, everyday life with a broken heart. You can address your broken heart by doing self-care and reaching out to friends, family, and a professional therapist or counselor. You can also work on letting go of your past relationship so you can move on and focus on feeling better.

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