Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (In Spanish)

As the old song goes, "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," in any language! That said, as there are an abundance of ways to describe the concept of "breaking up" in a relationship in Spanish, we thought we'd introduce you to several, many of which are featured in videos from our Yabla Spanish library.

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Ways to Say "to Break Up" in Spanish

Interestingly, many common verbs with different meanings in everyday use can also mean "to break up" in Spanish in certain contexts. The way one chooses to speak about "breaking up" in Spanish will depend upon both regional tendencies and personal preference. Let's take a look at some of them:

1. Acabar con (alguien)

Starting with an example from our lesson on the verb acabar, literally meaning "to finish with," acabar con is one manner of saying "to break up" in Spanish:

Pienso acabar con mi novio.

I'm planning to break up with my boyfriend.

2. Terminar (a alguien)

The Spanish verb terminar also means "to finish," but it can also mean "to break up." So, naturally, terminar a alguien (literally "to finish someone") means "to break up with" that person. We encounter these expressions a lot in Colombian series like Los Años Maravillosos and Confidencial: El rey de la estafa:

Van a terminar.

They're going to break up.

Caption 64, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 8
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Andrea, Andrea, no me diga que es en serio

Andrea, Andrea, don't tell me it's serious

que usted me va a terminar.

that you're going to break up with me.

Caption 47, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 3
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3. Cortar

Literally meaning "to cut" or "cut off," cortar is yet another Spanish verb used to speak about "breaking up" with someone:

No está enamorado de Andrea

He's not in love with Andrea

y no sabe cómo cortarla.

and doesn't know how to break up with her.

Caption 89, Muñeca Brava - 48 - Soluciones
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4. Dejar

The Spanish verb dejar means "to leave." Let's look at an example where the verb dejar in the preterite tense has been translated as "broke up with":

Salía con un chico,

She was dating a guy,

pero la dejó hace dos semanas.

but he broke up with her two weeks ago.

Captions 54-55, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y persona ideal
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Although this sentence may alternatively have been translated as "he left her two weeks ago," the English expression "to leave someone" is arguably used more commonly to talk about abandoning a longer-term relationship. So, in this context, where someone appears to have been dating someone for a shorter time, "to break up with" serves as a viable translation for the verb dejar.

5. Pelearse

Although the Spanish verb pelearse typically means "to fight," "have an argument," or even "come to blows with," in certain countries like Argentina, it can also mean "to break up":

More, vos acabas de pelearte con Tomás,

More [Morena], you just broke up with Tomas,

Caption 49, Yago - 10 Enfrentamientos
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That said, should you hear se pelearon (literally "they fought") or están peleados (they're in a fight), additional clarification may be required. While in certain regions or contexts, these two utterances might simply describe people "in a fight" or "mad at each other," in others, they can mean "they broke up," "split up," or "are broken up" temporarily.

6. Romper con

The verb romper in Spanish can mean to "to break," as in an object, but when combined with the preposition con (with), it can additionally mean "to break up":

Ella rompió con su novio hace dos semanas.

She broke up with her boyfriend two weeks ago.

Of course, the verb romper could also be used to describe the "breaking" of one's heart following the breakup:

A las niñas,

Girls,

les rompen el corazón.

they get their hearts broken [literally, "they break their hearts"].

Captions 44-45, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4
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Additional Spanish "Breakup" Verbs

Vamos a terminar ("Let's conclude," in this context) this lesson with two terms that should be easy to remember since they are very similar to their English counterparts:

7. Separarse

The Spanish verb separarse means "to get separated":

Pasa que mis viejos se separaron, por eso.

It so happens that my parents got separated, that's why.

Caption 38, Muñeca Brava - 30 Revelaciones
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8. Divorciarse

As you might guess, the Spanish verb divorciarse means "to get divorced":

Pero... como mis papás se divorciaron cuando yo tenía dos años

But... since my parents got divorced when I was two years old,

y mi mamá no se volvió a casar...

and my mother didn't remarry...

Captions 54-55, La Sub30 - Familias
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Now that we've provided you with a multitude of ways to say "to break up" in Spanish, te dejamos. But don't worry! We're not breaking up with you. We're just saying goodbye for today— and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.