Spanish Phrase
Se me rompió el coche. ¿Qué hago?
Meaning
Literally, ‘My car broke down on me. What should I do?’ The speaker is reporting an unexpected mechanical failure and immediately asking for advice on the next steps.
When to use
Use this sentence when your vehicle suddenly stops working—whether you’re on the road, at home, or in a parking lot—and you need help figuring out what to do next, such as calling a mechanic, a roadside service, or a friend.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Semerompióelcoche¿Quéhago?
Se me + verb
The construction 'se me' (or 'se te', etc.) expresses an accidental or unintentional event that happens to the speaker, with the dative pronoun indicating the person affected.
Preterite of romper
‘rompió’ is the third‑person singular preterite of ‘romper’, used here because the subject is the car (third person).
Definite article with nouns
‘el coche’ uses the masculine singular article because ‘coche’ is a masculine noun.
Interrogative ¿Qué…?
‘¿Qué hago?’ is a direct question meaning ‘What should I do?’, using the present indicative of ‘hacer’.
🗨In Conversation
Se me rompió el coche. ¿Qué hago?
My car broke down. What should I do?
Llama a la grúa y avisa a tu seguro. Si estás cerca, puedes pedirle a un vecino que te lleve al taller.
Call a tow truck and notify your insurance. If you’re nearby, you could ask a neighbor to take you to the garage.
✕Common Mistakes
Se me rompí el coche.
‘Romper’ must agree with the car (third person), not the speaker; use ‘rompió’ or ‘se ha roto’.
Se me rompió el coche. ¿Qué hago yo?
The subject pronoun ‘yo’ is unnecessary and sounds unnatural in this context.
Se me rompió coche.
The noun needs its definite article: ‘el coche’. Omitting it sounds incomplete.
↔Alternatives
Mi coche se averió. ¿Qué debo hacer?
My car broke down. What must I do?
Se me ha roto el coche. ¿Qué me recomiendas?
My car has broken. What do you recommend?
El coche se descompuso. ¿Qué hago ahora?
The car broke down. What do I do now?
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking countries, the ‘se me…’ construction is very common for accidents, illnesses, or mishaps (e.g., ‘Se me cayó el móvil’). When you need help, it’s polite to add a brief explanation of the situation before asking for advice, and people often suggest calling a ‘grúa’ (tow truck) or checking if the car is still under warranty. In some regions, you’ll hear ‘coche’ replaced by ‘carro’ (Mexico) or ‘auto’ (Argentina).