My laptop broke down.

（パソコンが壊れたの。）
　この間初めて海外旅行にノートパソコン持って行った。旅先で壊れた。という話を英語で友達にメールした時に覚えたbroke downという表現、レッスンで話す時間違えてbroke outと言ってしまって直された。

• breakは自動詞と他動詞両方で使えるんだけど、私は他動詞の受け身で「壊れている」という言い方でしか今までほとんど使ってなくて、でも今回、「壊れている」じゃなくて旅行中に「壊れた」って言うには？あれ？と思いbreakを調べて、物が主語になって「壊れる」という言い方がbreak downという表現で言えることを知った。
• break downで「故障する」（ (of a machine or motor vehicle) suddenly cease to function／to stop working）「失敗に終わる」（to fail or stop working in a successful way）。
  • Sometimes the heating system simply breaks down.
  • The car broke down just north of Paris.
  • The printing machines are always breaking down.
  • His van broke down.
  • Negotiations broke down after only two days.
  • Talks between the two countries broke down.
  • I left London when my marriage broke down.
• 「とても感情的になる」（to become very emotional／ lose control of one's emotions when in a state of distress ）という意味もある。
  • I didn't know anyone who was killed, but I still broke down and cried when I heard about the bombings.
  • If she had tried to utter a word, she would have broken down.
  • The old woman broke down in tears.
• ちなみに私がレッスン中間違えたbreak outは「突然発生する、勃発する」（ (of war, fighting, or similarly undesirable things) start suddenly）。これはなんか、受験の時に覚えたなぁ…（遠い目）…。
  • Forest fires have broken out across Indonesia.
  • A fire broke out in the belfry. 　※belfry：鐘楼
  • A round of giggling broke out when the teacher tripped.
  • I was still living in London when the war broke out.
  • Does everyone know what to do if a fire breaks out?
  • Fighting broke out between demonstrators and the police.