If you could choose just one topic that would fit in your head without having to study so much, what would it be? For many of our students, the answer would probably be: Spanish verb conjugation. And I understand them, of course! For a native Spanish speaker, conjugating a verb is not something to think about, we grow up conjugating them intuitively, but even I get lost if I think about terms like the subjunctive compound tense.
The verb we’ll talk about today: Caber (to fit, to fit in or to accommodate) is one of those verbs that makes us wish conjugations didn’t exist. If you want to be one of those people who have no doubt when using this verb, you’ve come to the right place!
Before we discuss conjugations, how about learning a couple of common phrases with this verb? If you wish to learn more, remember that in our lessons you can revise this topic and many, many more!
- No me cabe en la cabeza (I can’t get my head around it), for example: No me cabe en la cabeza que te guste el helado de pistacho.
- Cabe la posibilidad de que (There is a chance of), as in: Cabe la posibilidad de que mañana llueva.
- No cabe duda (There is no doubt), like: No cabe duda de que te ganaré en fútbol.
- Cabe + verbo en infinitivo (It is possible / It is natural), such as: Cabe pensar que te portaste mal.
Caber Verbals
Verbals, those words that look like a verb, but behave as nouns, adjectives or adverbs, also have a place (tienen cabida) when we talk about the verb Caber. Two things to remember:
1. Their function as a verb changes, they are now nouns (infinitive), adjectives (participle) or adverbs (gerund).
2. You can identify a verbal because it is always accompanied by another verb (especially the verbs haber and estar) which will be conjugated.
| Verbal | Common use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | caber (to fit / fitting) | Non conjugated / Noun | Caber aquí es imposible | It is impossible to fit in here |
| Gerund | cabiendo (fitting) | Adverb/ Periphrasis | ¿Te está cabiendo el jean? | Is the jean fitting? |
| Participle | cabido (fitted) | Adjective | Me sorprendió que el vestido haya cabido | I was surprised that the dress fitted |
Irregularity of the verb Caber
Caber is not only an irregular verb, it is a highly irregular verb! In case you don’t remember, when we mention irregular verbs, we are referring to those that have a change in one or more conjugations. There are irregularities of different types, and the verb Caber seems to want to have them all. Below you will be able to observe its irregularities which are:
| Change | You don’t say | You say |
|---|---|---|
| cab -> quep | cabo | quepo |
| cab -> cup | cabí | cupe |
| caber -> cabr | caberé | cabré |
Caber Conjugation: Indicative Mood
As in video games, let’s start with the simplest level, the indicative mood. This mood is distinguished by being the most used, since it is the one with which we present reality as it is, in an objective way (at least as far as grammar is concerned).
Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Conditional | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (fit) | (fitted) | (fitted) | (would fit) | (will fit) | |
| yo | quepo | cupe | cabía | cabría | cabré |
| tú | cabes | cupiste | cabías | cabrías | cabrás |
| él/ella/ usted | cabe | cupo | cabía | cabría | cabrá |
| nosotros | cabemos | cupimos | cabíamos | cabríamos | cabremos |
| ellos/ella/ ustedes | caben | cupieron | cabían | cabrían | cabrán |
Examples:
- El vestido blanco le cupo perfectamente. – The white dress fitted her perfectly.
- No cabemos en el carro, pidamos un Uber. – We can’t fit in the car, let’s call an Uber.
Compound Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Present Perfect | Preterite Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Conditional Perfect | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (have/has fitted) | (had fitted) | (had fitted) | (would have fitted) | (will have fitted) | |
| yo | he cabido | hube cabido | había cabido | habría cabido | habré cabido |
| tú | has cabido | hubiste cabido | habías cabido | habrías cabido | habrás cabido |
| él/ella/usted | ha cabido | hubo cabido | había cabido | habría cabido | habrá cabido |
| nosotros | hemos cabido | hubimos cabido | habíamos cabido | habríamos cabido | habremos cabido |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han cabido | hubieron cabido | habían cabido | habrían cabido | habrán cabido |
Caber Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood
If the indicative mood is that first level of the video game, the subjunctive mood is that moment when the book reaches its climax and you don’t know what will happen. What words characterize that point in the story? The same words that characterize this mood: uncertainty, desires, hypothesis.
Simple Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present | Imperfect | Imperfect 2 | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | quepa | cupiera | cupiese | cupiere |
| tú | quepas | cupieras | cupieses | cupieres |
| él/ella/usted | quepa | cupiera | cupiese | cupiere |
| nosotros | quepamos | cupiéramos | cupiésemos | cupiéremos |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | quepan | cupieran | cupiesen | cupieren |
Examples:
- No creo que quepamos en el ascensor. – I don’t think we’ll fit in the elevator.
- Si cupieses en la silla, estarías más cómodo. – If you could fit in the chair, you would be more comfortable.
Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Past Perfect 2 (Pluperfect 2) | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | haya cabido | hubiera cabido | hubiese cabido | hubiere cabido |
| tú | hayas cabido | hubieras cabido | hubieses cabido | hubieres cabido |
| él/ella/usted | haya cabido | hubiera cabido | hubiese cabido | hubiere cabido |
| nosotros | hayamos cabido | hubiéramos cabido | hubiésemos cabido | hubiéremos cabido |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan cabido | hubieran cabido | hubiesen cabido | hubieren cabido |
Caber Conjugation: Imperative Mood
My favorite kind of movies are those where there is a happy ending and where everything is easily resolved. That’s why I saved you one of those endings that leave you smiling. The imperative mood, although bossy, is a simple mood that consists of few persons and only one verb tense, besides, with the verb Caber it has very little use, shall we see it?
Imperative Mood’s Conjugations
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| (fit/let’s fit) | (don’t fit/let’s not fit) | |
| tú | cabe | no quepas |
| nosotros | quepamos | no quepamos |
Examples:
- Yo no planeo entrar, si quieres, cabe tú allí. – I don’t plan to go in, if you want to, you fit in there.
- ¡No quepamos en las cajas que ponen frente a nosotros! – Let’s not fit in the boxes they put in front of us!
Spanish Verb Caber – Quiz/Worksheet
Practice makes perfection and knowledge fits better in your head when you put it into action, are you ready? You can see the answers at the end, but no cheating!
1. Una talla S no le _______, necesita la M. (A size S does not fit her, she needs a size M)
2. Los guantes que le regalaste le han _______ muy bien. (The gloves you gave him have fitted him very well.)
3. No es que no pueda, es que no quiero _______. (It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I don’t want to fit in)
4. Si me _______ la camisa, no me vería así. (If my shirt fit, I wouldn’t look like this.)
5. No todas las cosas _______ en la mochila. (Not all the stuff fitted in the backpack.)
Answers
Now let’s see how well those conjugations fit together!
1. cabe
2. cabido
3. caber
4. cupiera
5. cupieron
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