Breakdown of Un gasto inesperado rompió mi presupuesto la semana pasada.
mi
my
la semana
the week
romper
to break
un
a
inesperado
unexpected
el presupuesto
the budget
el gasto
the expense
pasado
last
Questions & Answers about Un gasto inesperado rompió mi presupuesto la semana pasada.
What does un gasto inesperado mean in English?
It means an unexpected expense. Gasto = expense (something you spend), inesperado = unexpected.
Why is gasto masculine and preceded by un?
In Spanish, nouns ending in -o are usually masculine. Therefore gasto takes the masculine indefinite article un (an).
Why does the adjective inesperado come after the noun, not before?
By default, Spanish adjectives follow the noun they modify. Placing inesperado after gasto is the neutral word order: gasto inesperado.
What tense is rompió, and why is it used here?
Rompió is the third-person singular preterite of romper (“to break”). We use the preterite to describe a completed action in the past: “An unexpected expense broke my budget.”
Could I say me rompió el presupuesto instead of rompió mi presupuesto?
Yes. Me rompió el presupuesto uses the indirect-object pronoun me and the definite article el presupuesto. Both mean “It broke my budget,” but rompió mi presupuesto simply uses the possessive mi.
Why is la semana pasada required, and why is la needed?
Time expressions with units like “week” require the definite article in Spanish. So “last week” is la semana pasada (literally “the week past”).
Why is la semana pasada placed at the end of the sentence?
Spanish allows time expressions in different positions, but placing them at the end is common and stylistically neutral for completed past actions.
Can I use arruinó instead of rompió here?
Yes. Arruinar (“to ruin”) works: Un gasto inesperado arruinó mi presupuesto. Using romper (“to break”) is just a more literal or colloquial way to say the same idea.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SpanishMaster Spanish — from Un gasto inesperado rompió mi presupuesto la semana pasada to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions