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A row of five colorful houses, with an arrow pointing to each one individually to represent the concept of 'each'.

cada

ka-da

AdjectiveA1
each?referring to individual items in a group,every?referring to all items in a group, one by one

📝 In Action

Cada estudiante tiene un libro.

A1

Each student has a book.

Voy al gimnasio cada día.

A1

I go to the gym every day.

Le doy un regalo a cada uno de mis hijos.

A2

I give a gift to each one of my children.

Nos vemos cada dos semanas.

A2

We see each other every two weeks.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • cada día – every day
  • cada vez – every time / each time
  • cada uno / cada una – each one
  • cada mañana – every morning

Idioms & Expressions

💡 Grammar Points

Always Followed by Singular

Even when talking about a whole group, the noun right after cada is always singular. Think 'each single student' (cada estudiante), not 'each students'.

Never Changes

Cada is a super easy word because it stays the same. It doesn't change for masculine or feminine things. It's always cada niño (each boy) and cada niña (each girl).

Talking About Frequency

You can use cada with a number to say how often something happens, like 'cada dos días' (every two days) or 'cada tres horas' (every three hours).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using a Plural Noun After 'Cada'

Mistake: "Cada estudiantes tienen un libro."

Correction: Say 'Cada estudiante tiene un libro.' The noun and the verb that follow 'cada' should be singular because you're talking about the items one by one.

Mixing up 'Cada' and 'Todos'

Mistake: "Me gusta cada tipo de música."

Correction: Use 'todos los tipos de música' for 'all types of music'. `Cada` singles out items, while `todos` groups them all together. They can sometimes be similar ('cada día' vs. 'todos los días'), but 'todos' is better for talking about a whole category.

⭐ Usage Tips

Use 'Cada Uno' for 'Each One'

When you want to say 'each one' without repeating the noun, you can just say 'cada uno' (for masculine or mixed groups) or 'cada una' (for feminine groups). Example: 'Tengo tres gatos. Cada uno es diferente.' (I have three cats. Each one is different.)

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: cada

Question 1 of 2

How do you correctly say 'Each house is white'?

📚 More Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the real difference between 'cada día' and 'todos los días'?

They both mean 'every day' and you can often use them interchangeably. However, there's a slight difference in focus. 'Todos los días' (all the days) talks about the group of days as a whole and is more common for general routines. 'Cada día' (each day) emphasizes the individual nature of each day, one after another. When in doubt, 'todos los días' is a safe bet for routines.

Does 'cada' ever change to 'cados' or 'cadas'?

Nope, never! 'Cada' is one of the easiest words in Spanish because it always stays the same. It doesn't matter if the noun is masculine, feminine, or plural (in frequency expressions). It's always just 'cada'.