cayeron
“cayeron” means “they fell” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
📝 In Action
Las llaves se deslizaron de la mesa y **cayeron** al suelo.
A1The keys slipped off the table and fell to the floor.
Los excursionistas se resbalaron en el hielo y **cayeron** unos metros.
A2The hikers slipped on the ice and fell a few meters.
📝 In Action
Ante la evidencia, los argumentos de la defensa **cayeron** fácilmente.
B1Faced with the evidence, the defense's arguments collapsed easily.
Los precios del petróleo **cayeron** a su nivel más bajo en una década.
B2Oil prices dropped to their lowest level in a decade.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
imperfect
present
preterite
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: cayeron
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'cayeron' to mean 'they were defeated'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin verb *cadere*, meaning 'to fall, sink, or drop.' The irregular nature of the Spanish verb 'caer' developed early in the language's history, leading to the unique 'y' forms in the past tense, like 'cayeron'.
First recorded: Old Spanish (around the 10th-12th centuries)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'cayeron' past tense or present tense?
It is the simple past tense (Preterite). It describes an action of falling that was completed and finished in the past.
Why is the base form 'caer' but the past form is 'cayeron'?
'Caer' is an irregular verb. In the simple past, the verb stem changes slightly (from 'caí-' to 'cay-') to make the pronunciation flow better when the vowel sounds are next to each other.