Inklingo

How to Say "to drop" in Spanish

English → Spanish

caer

/kah-EHR//kaˈeɾ/

verbA1general
Use 'caer' when something or someone falls unintentionally, often due to gravity or loss of balance.
A small, round blue cartoon character is tumbling rapidly downwards through the air against a simple background, illustrating physical descent.

Examples

El libro se cayó de la mesa.

The book fell off the table.

Ten cuidado, no vayas a caer por las escaleras.

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

El libro se me cayó de la mesa.

The book fell off the table (on me).

Siempre caigo enfermo en invierno.

I always fall ill in winter.

The 'G' in 'Yo'

In the present tense, the 'yo' form is irregular: 'caigo'. This is a common pattern for verbs ending in -aer, -eer, or -oír, like 'traer' (to bring).

Preterite Spelling Change

Mistake: “The third person singular/plural often incorrectly uses an 'i': *el caío*”

Correction: The correct forms are 'él cayó' and 'ellos cayeron'. The 'i' changes to a 'y' when unstressed between vowels.

soltar

sohl-TAHR/solˈtaɾ/

verbA2general
Use 'soltar' when you accidentally release your grip on something, causing it to fall or fly away.
A close-up view of a person's hand opening its grip, allowing a small, colorful ball to fall downwards.

Examples

Dejé caer mi teléfono sin querer.

I accidentally dropped my phone.

Solté el globo por accidente y voló muy alto.

I accidentally let go of the balloon and it flew very high.

El policía soltó al detenido porque no había pruebas.

The police officer released the detainee because there was no evidence.

Stem-Change Alert

In the present tense, the 'o' in the root changes to 'ue' (soltar -> suelto), except for the 'nosotros' and 'vosotros' forms.

Confusing Physical vs. Emotional Release

Mistake: “Using 'dejar' when you mean 'soltar' (physical grip).”

Correction: 'Dejar' means 'to leave' or 'to allow.' Use 'soltar' for dropping or releasing a physical object.

comer

/koh-mehr//koˈmeɾ/

verbB2informal
Use 'comer' metaphorically when someone pronounces words indistinctly or omits sounds while speaking quickly.
A person speaking quickly, with colorful, abstract shapes representing sounds or words being sucked back into their mouth.

Examples

No te comas las 's' al final de las palabras.

Don't drop the 's' at the end of the words.

Habla tan rápido que se come las palabras.

He speaks so fast that he swallows his words.

En esta región, la gente se come la 's' final.

In this region, people drop the final 's'.

Te comiste un paso importante en las instrucciones.

You skipped an important step in the instructions.

Physical vs. Verbal 'Dropping'

The most common mistake is using 'caer' or 'soltar' for the verbal sense of dropping words. Remember that 'comer' (to eat) is used metaphorically in Spanish for dropping sounds when speaking, not physical falling.

Related Translations

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