brake
brakes
braking
braked
Brake means to slow or stop using brakes. Regular verb: brake-braked-braked.
Meanings
- To slow using brakes
- To stop a vehicle
- To reduce speed
Common Collocations
brake hard
brake suddenly
slam on the brakes
brake fluid
brake pedal
Tip for Learners
Brake (slow down) vs break (damage). Different words! Slam on the brakes means to stop suddenly.
Present Simple
| I | brake |
| you | brake |
| he/she/it | brakes |
| we | brake |
| they | brake |
Examples - Present Simple
- I brake gently at yellow lights.
- You brake too suddenly sometimes.
- He brakes hard in emergencies.
- We brake before the curve.
- They brake for pedestrians.
Present Continuous
| I | am braking |
| you | are braking |
| he/she/it | is braking |
| we | are braking |
| they | are braking |
Examples - Present Continuous
- I am braking slowly to stop.
- You are braking too late.
- She is braking at the intersection.
- We are braking to avoid the obstacle.
- They are braking for the traffic ahead.
Present Perfect
| I | have braked |
| you | have braked |
| he/she/it | has braked |
| we | have braked |
| they | have braked |
Examples - Present Perfect
- I have braked in time every time.
- You have braked well during the test.
- He has braked too hard and skidded.
- We have braked successfully.
- They have braked for every stop sign.
Present Perfect Continuous
| I | have been braking |
| you | have been braking |
| he/she/it | has been braking |
| we | have been braking |
| they | have been braking |
Examples - Present Perfect Continuous
- I have been braking carefully on icy roads.
- You have been braking too often.
- She has been braking smoothly lately.
- We have been braking earlier than usual.
- They have been braking at every corner.
Past Simple
| I | braked |
| you | braked |
| he/she/it | braked |
| we | braked |
| they | braked |
Examples - Past Simple
- I braked just in time.
- You braked suddenly and scared me.
- He braked to avoid the deer.
- We braked at the red light.
- They braked before hitting the car.
Past Continuous
| I | was braking |
| you | were braking |
| he/she/it | was braking |
| we | were braking |
| they | were braking |
Examples - Past Continuous
- I was braking when the car behind hit me.
- You were braking too hard.
- She was braking for the pedestrians.
- We were braking down the steep hill.
- They were braking at every turn.
Past Perfect
| I | had braked |
| you | had braked |
| he/she/it | had braked |
| we | had braked |
| they | had braked |
Examples - Past Perfect
- I had braked before seeing the sign.
- You had braked in time fortunately.
- He had braked too late to stop.
- We had braked before reaching the edge.
- They had braked when the light changed.
Past Perfect Continuous
| I | had been braking |
| you | had been braking |
| he/she/it | had been braking |
| we | had been braking |
| they | had been braking |
Examples - Past Perfect Continuous
- I had been braking gently on the wet road.
- You had been braking intermittently.
- She had been braking for the slow traffic.
- We had been braking down the mountain.
- They had been braking repeatedly in traffic.
Future Simple
| I | will brake |
| you | will brake |
| he/she/it | will brake |
| we | will brake |
| they | will brake |
Examples - Future Simple
- I will brake before the intersection.
- You will brake when you see the sign.
- He will brake smoothly I hope.
- We will brake at the toll booth.
- They will brake for the crossing.
Future Continuous
| I | will be braking |
| you | will be braking |
| he/she/it | will be braking |
| we | will be braking |
| they | will be braking |
Examples - Future Continuous
- I will be braking as we approach.
- You will be braking on the downhill.
- She will be braking for the curves.
- We will be braking frequently in traffic.
- They will be braking at each checkpoint.
Future Perfect
| I | will have braked |
| you | will have braked |
| he/she/it | will have braked |
| we | will have braked |
| they | will have braked |
Examples - Future Perfect
- I will have braked before you notice.
- You will have braked many times by then.
- He will have braked successfully.
- We will have braked before the barrier.
- They will have braked at every stop.
Future Perfect Continuous
| I | will have been braking |
| you | will have been braking |
| he/she/it | will have been braking |
| we | will have been braking |
| they | will have been braking |
Examples - Future Perfect Continuous
- I will have been braking carefully all day.
- You will have been braking in heavy traffic.
- She will have been braking on icy roads.
- We will have been braking for hours.
- They will have been braking throughout the journey.