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caer

kah-EHR/kaˈeɾ/

to fall, to drop

Also: to land
VerbA1irregular er
A small, round blue cartoon character is tumbling rapidly downwards through the air against a simple background, illustrating physical descent.
infinitivecaer
gerundcayendo
past Participlecaído

📝 In Action

Ten cuidado, no vayas a caer por las escaleras.

A1

Be careful, don't go and fall down the stairs.

El libro se me cayó de la mesa.

A2

The book fell off the table (on me).

Siempre caigo enfermo en invierno.

B1

I always fall ill in winter.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • desplomarse (to collapse)
  • precipitarse (to plunge)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • caer de rodillas – to fall to one's knees
  • caer en picada – to plummet

Idioms & Expressions

to like (a person), to dislike (a person)

Also: to make a good impression
VerbA2irregular er
Two simple cartoon figures, one red and one yellow, are standing face-to-face, both smiling warmly. A large, bright red heart floats between their heads, symbolizing mutual liking.

📝 In Action

¿Te cae bien la nueva jefa?

A2

Do you like the new boss?

Ese chico me cae muy mal, es demasiado ruidoso.

A2

I really dislike that guy, he's too noisy.

Les caíste bien a mis padres anoche.

B1

My parents liked you last night.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • agradar (to please)
  • simpatizar (to get along with)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • caer bien – to make a good impression
  • caer mal – to make a bad impression

to fall on (a date), to realize

Also: to fall (due), to understand (informal)
VerbB1irregular er
Mexico
A brightly wrapped yellow gift box is gently descending from above, just about to touch the surface of a solid, large purple block, illustrating an event falling on a specific day.

📝 In Action

Este año, mi cumpleaños cae en sábado.

B1

This year, my birthday falls on a Saturday.

Después de pensarlo, caí en la cuenta de mi error.

B2

After thinking about it, I realized my mistake.

El segundo pago cae el 15 de marzo.

B2

The second payment is due (falls) on March 15th.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • caer en la cuenta – to realize, to catch on
  • caer en el olvido – to be forgotten

Idioms & Expressions

  • caer redondo – to pass out, to faint suddenly
  • caerle algo a alguien – to dawn on someone, to understand

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedcae
yocaigo
túcaes
ellos/ellas/ustedescaen
nosotroscaemos
vosotroscaéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedcaía
yocaía
túcaías
ellos/ellas/ustedescaían
nosotroscaíamos
vosotroscaíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedcayó
yocaí
túcaíste
ellos/ellas/ustedescayeron
nosotroscaímos
vosotroscaísteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedcaiga
yocaiga
túcaigas
ellos/ellas/ustedescaigan
nosotroscaigamos
vosotroscaigáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedcayera
yocayera
túcayeras
ellos/ellas/ustedescayeran
nosotroscayéramos
vosotroscayerais
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "caer" in Spanish:

to drop→to fall→to land→

🗣️ Practice in a Tongue Twister

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: caer

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'caer' in the sense of 'to like or dislike a person'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
la caída(the fall, the drop) — Noun
caedizo(ready to fall) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes directly from the Latin verb *cadere*, which meant 'to fall' or 'to sink.' It has maintained this core meaning throughout centuries, extending it to figurative uses like 'falling on a date' or 'falling into a mistake.'

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: cairItalian: cadere

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I correctly say 'I dropped my keys' using 'caer'?

You must use the structure that implies the keys fell accidentally, not that you deliberately dropped them: 'Se me cayeron las llaves.' (Literally: The keys fell themselves to me.)

Why is the 'yo' form 'caigo' and not 'cao'?

This is an ancient irregularity inherited from Latin. Many verbs that end in a vowel + 'er' (like traer, oír) add a 'g' in the present tense 'yo' form and throughout the present subjunctive. Just memorize the pattern: yo 'caigo', yo 'traigo', yo 'oigo'.