Cite this Article

Let’s get back on the horse: Conjugation of the verb Caer

Of all the verbs, there is one that teaches us a lot: the verb Caer. Today we are going to learn how to conjugate and use this verb in Spanish. Caer is a verb that can be complex to understand if you are just starting out with the language. It can be translated as “to fall”, but things get a little tricky if we go deeper. Enough introductions, let’s get down to business!

Is it Caer or Caerse?

There is a confusion between the verb Caer and the verb Caerse and although today we will not cover all the uses of the verb Caer, we will talk about the most common ones so that you never fall into this mistake. Remember that the verb Caerse is used to talk about loss (usually accidental) of balance (usually accidental) or support, and is almost always used with people. On the other hand, the verb Caer is used if.

  • Something/someone falls due to an external cause (to fall), for example: La casa se cayó cuando el terremoto ocurrió – The house fell down when the earthquake happened.
  • You understand something (to realize), as in: Caí en cuenta de lo que me decías muy tarde – I realized what you were telling me too late.
  • You want to talk about compatibility with someone or something (to get along, to be ok, to like), such as: Mi profesora de español me cae muy bien – I really like my Spanish teacher.

Verbals of Caer

Caer, like all verbs, has three types of verbals: infinitive, gerund and participle. These words, unlike the verb, cannot be conjugated, since they cease to be a verb. Identifying whether you are in front of a verbal or not is simple, you just have to see if there is another verb that has been conjugated, and you are probably in front of one.

VerbalCommon useExampleEnglish
Infinitivecaer (to fall / falling)Non conjugated / NounLevantarse es lo más importante al caerGetting up is the most important thing when falling
Gerundcayendo (falling)AdverbEstá cayendo mucha nieveA lot of snow is falling
Participlecaído (down)AdjectiveEl sistema está caído, lo sientoThe system is down, sorry

Caer, caigo, cayó

A stem-changing verb is characterized by changes in its stem (raíz) when conjugated. Another name for this type of verb? Irregular verb. Caer irregularity is manifested in the last vowel of the verb. Or, to make it clearer for you, the verb goes from having an “E” at the end, to having an “I” (or sometimes a “Y”). Now that you know that, let’s move on to the conjugations!

Caer Conjugation: Indicative Mood

Most of the things we say are things that we believe to be true or that we categorize as facts. That’s why the indicative mood in Spanish is the most commonly used and usually the first one you learn. It has two forms, the simple form (just the verb) and the compound form (when the auxiliary verb Haber is used).

Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood

SubjectPresentPreteriteImperfect ConditionalFuture
(fall)(fell)(fell)(would fall)(will fall)
yocaigocaícaíacaeríacaeré
caescaístecaíascaeríascaerás
él/ella/
usted
caecayócaíacaeríacaerá
nosotroscaemoscaímoscaíamoscaeríamoscaeremos
ellos/ellas/
ustedes
caencayeroncaíancaeríancaerán

Examples

 

  • Yo le caía bien a tu mama hasta que empezamos a salir – Your mom liked me until we started dating.
  • Ustedes también caerían si una ola de ese tamaño les golpea – You too would fall if a wave of that size hits you.

Compound Tenses of the Indicative Mood

SubjectPresent PerfectPreterite PerfectPast Perfect (Pluperfect) Conditional PerfectFuture Perfect
(have/has fallen)(had fallen)(had fallen)(would have fallen)(will have fallen)
yohe caídohube caídohabía caídohabría caídohabré caído
has caídohubiste caídohabías caídohabrías caídohabrás caído
él/ella/ustedha caídohubo caídohabía caídohabría caídohabrá caído
nosotroshemos caídohubimos caídohabíamos caídohabríamos caídohabremos caído
ellos/ellas/ustedeshan caídohubieron caídohabían caídohabrían caídohabrán caído

Caer Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood

You could say that the subjunctive mood is the opposite of the indicative mood, since it does not deal with things that are (or we believe) real, but with things that are not actually happening, but that we want or think will happen, i.e. wishes or assumptions.

Simple Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood

SubjectPresentImperfectImperfect 2 Future
yocaigacayeracayesecayere
caigascayerascayesescayeres
él/ella/ustedcaigacayeracayesecayere
nosotroscaigamoscayéramoscayésemoscayéremos
ellos/ellas/ustedescaigancayerancayesencayeren

Examples

 

  • No dejes que caigan en esa trampa – Don’t let them fall into that trap.
  • Era más probable que cayésemos, no teníamos buen agarre – We were likely to fall, we didn’t have a good grip.

Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood

SubjectPresent PerfectPast Perfect (Pluperfect)Past Perfect 2 (Pluperfect 2)Future Perfect
yohaya caídohubiera caídohubiese caídohubiere caído
hayas caídohubieras caídohubieses caídohubieres caído
él/ella/ustedhaya caídohubiera caídohubiese caídohubiere caído
nosotroshayamos caídohubiéramos caídohubiésemos caídohubiéremos caído
ellos/ellas/ustedeshayan caídohubieran caídohubiesen caídohubieren caído2

Caer Conjugation: Imperative Mood

Let’s look at the conjugations of the mood with which we express ourselves when giving advice, an order, as well as with which we give instructions or make a request. Pros? Fewer people to learn, only one verb tense. Cons? None!

Imperative Mood’s Conjugations

SubjectAffirmativeNegative
(fall/let’s fall)(don’t fall/let’s not fall)
caeno caigas
nosotroscaigamosno caigamos
ustedescaiganno caigan

Example:

 

  • ¡No caigas en eso! Es un error – Don’t fall for it! It is a mistake.

 

Caer – Quiz/Worksheet

Learning without practicing is like dropping a valuable object just before you get to the place where you were supposed to deliver it, so let’s put into practice what you have learned today.

1. La última vez que comí allí, me _______ mal la comida. – The last time I ate there, the food made me sick.

2. ¿ _______ en la tentación de ver la serie sin mí? – Did you fall into the temptation of watching the series without me?

3. Las acciones han _______ desde que renunció el CEO – The stock has fallen since the CEO resigned.

4. _______ en suponer cosas no está bien – Falling for the assumptions is not right.

5. Ojalá _______ la lluvia, el calor está horrible – I wish the rain would come, the heat is horrible.

 

Hey there. Welcome.
I'm Kéllyta Quijada - and I wrote this article.

Stuck on this topic? Hire me for just 1 hour to start mastering it. Pass a test, improve basic vocabulary or improve your conversational level in Spanish.

Book a 1 Hour Lesson With Me
Price: $18/hour

Answers

1. cayó

2. caíste

3. caído

4. caer

5. cayera

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Specializations: Spanish Tutors on Zoom

Bio: 28-year-old graphic designer and writer with 7 years of experience, passionate about communication in all its aspects as the main tool to forge links. I consider myself a detailed, patient, and empathetic person, so even if you consider yourself a difficult student, I will know how to guide you to reach the level of Spanish you need for whatever activity you have in mind. As a student of Literature, I always had the same love for books and their stories, as well as for the Spanish language and its formation. I believe that the best way to learn is to be passionate about what you are learning and that is what I always want to achieve with my students. I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults, so I have knowledge about the different learning stages that a person can go through and the different strategies to approach them.

View my Profile to Book a Private Spanish Lesson

Other articles: Spanish & English Vocabulary for Painters, Spanish & English Vocabulary for the Oil & Gas Industry, Spanish & English Vocabulary for Telecommunications Workers, Spanish & English Vocabulary for HVAC Professionals, Spanish for Landscapers

Cite this Article