cayó
“cayó” means “fell” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
fell
Also: tumbled, dropped
📝 In Action
El niño se cayó de la bicicleta y se raspó la rodilla.
A1The boy fell off the bicycle and scraped his knee.
Ella no vio el escalón y se cayó por las escaleras.
A2She didn't see the step and fell down the stairs.
collapsed
Also: was defeated, failed
📝 In Action
El dictador cayó en 1989 y el país celebró su libertad.
B1The dictator fell (was overthrown) in 1989 and the country celebrated its freedom.
La compañía de juguetes no soportó la crisis y cayó en bancarrota.
B2The toy company didn't survive the crisis and failed (went into bankruptcy).
was
Also: landed
📝 In Action
La Nochebuena cayó en sábado el año pasado.
A2Christmas Eve was on a Saturday last year.
El aniversario de la compañía cayó justo antes de un día festivo.
B1The company anniversary landed right before a public holiday.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: cayó
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'cayó' to mean that a political entity failed?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes directly from the Latin verb *cadere*, meaning 'to fall' or 'to drop'. The irregular form 'cayó' developed in Spanish to create a smoother sound flow when the verb was conjugated in the simple past tense.
First recorded: Before the 10th century (evolved from Vulgar Latin).
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'caer' suddenly have a 'y' (cayó) in the past tense?
This is a common irregularity in Spanish verbs ending in a vowel + 'er' or 'ir'. When the 'i' of the simple past ending tries to squeeze between two other vowels (e.g., *ca-i-o*), Spanish rules turn that weak 'i' into a stronger 'y' sound ('cayó') for better pronunciation.
How do I know if 'cayó' means 'fell' or 'was defeated'?
Context is key! If it's about a person or small object, it's usually a physical fall (like a ball). If it's about a government, empire, or company, it usually means it collapsed or failed.