Using “Caer,” the Spanish Verb for Falling

The Spanish verb caer usually carries the idea of to fall and can be used in a variety of situations. While many of its uses can be translated using the English verb fall, a few cannot. Using Caer for ‘To Fall’ and ‘To Fall Over’ Here are some examples of everyday usage where caer is straightforwardly used for to fall or to fall over: El avià ³n cayà ³ en el ocà ©ano. (The plane fell into the ocean.)Si del cielo te caen limones, aprende a hacer limonada. (If lemons fall to you from the sky, learn to make lemonade.)Los barcos cayeron por las cataratas del Nià ¡gara. (The boats dropped over Niagara Falls.)El joven sufrià ³ un grave accidente al caer desde el tejado de la fà ¡brica. (The youth had a serious accident when he fell from the factorys roof.)El coche cayà ³ por el barranco por causas que se desconocen. (The car fell over the cliff for unknown reasons.)El tanque se cayà ³ de un puente. (The tank fell off a bridge.) The same meaning can be applied figuratively: Exportaciones colombianas cayeron en 18,7 por ciento. (Colombian exports fell 18.7 percent.)El turismo en Bolivia cayà ³ por la gripe. (Bolivian tourism declined because of the flu.) Caer can also be used when speaking of weather: Las lluvias fuertes y prolongadas cayeron sobre Cuenca. (The strong and long-lasting rains fell on  Cuenca.)La extraordinaria belleza de la nieve que caà ­a le provocaba mà ¡s alegrà ­a. (The extraordinary beauty of the snow that fell made him more joyful.)Rompiendo un record, la temperatura cayà ³ 43 grados en tan solo una semana. (Breaking a record, the temperature fell 43 degrees in only a week.)   Depending on the context, a synonym for fall can provide a better translation: Algunas estructuras cayeron tras el fuerte sismo de esta madrugada. (Some structures collapsed after the strong earthquake this morning.)El mercado de valores cayà ³ debido a una combinacià ³n de pà ¡nico y venta programada. (The stock market collapsed due to a combination of panic and programmed selling.)La nià ±a se cayà ³ en el hielo. (The girl slipped on the ice.) Using Caer for ‘To Succumb’ Caer is frequently used to indicate the idea of succumbing or being overtaken by a force of some sort, or to fall into an error. The translation can vary with the context. La cantante confesà ³ que cayà ³ en la anorexia y la bulimia. (The singer admitted that she sank into anorexia and bulimia.)Caà ­ en la tentacià ³n de ser infiel. (I succumbed to the temptation of being unfaithful.)El hombre cayà ³ en la trampa del FBI. (The man fell into the FBIs trap.)No caigas en el error de prometer lo que no puedes conseguir. (Dont make the mistake of making promises you cannot keep.)Parà ­s cayà ³ bajo los tanques nazis. (Paris fell to the Nazi tanks.)Tras padecer un cà ¡ncer, caà ­ en depresià ³n. (After suffering from cancer, I fell into depression.) Using Caer With Dates Caer can be used to mean that something falls on a particular date. It is used mostly commonly with days of the week. Este aà ±o mi cumpleaà ±os cae en jueves. (This year my birthday falls on a Thursday.)Si el dà ­a 30 de abril cae en domingo la fiesta se traslada al dà ­a 29. (If April 30th falls on a Sunday, the festival is moved to the 29th.) Using Caer To Indicate Compatibility Caer can be used with an indirect-object pronoun to suggest the idea of to get along with or to be OK with. The translation varies with context; often, a translation of to like or dislike will do. Me caen bien tus amigos. (I like your friends. Or, I get along with your friends.)Esto no va a caer muy bien a los otros equipos. (The other teams arent going to be pleased with this.)No me cayà ³ bien la decisià ³n. (I didnt like the decision. Or, the decision wasnt fine with me.)Ese desodorante le cae mal a mi piel. (That deodorant bothers my skin.) ¿Que profesores te caà ­an mejor? (Which teachers did you like best?)Me cayà ³ mal la comida. (The meal disagreed with me.) Conjugation of Caer Caer is conjugated irregularly. Irregular forms are shown in boldface below. Translations given are those most commonly used. Gerund:: cayendo (falling) Past participle: caà ­do (fallen) Present indicative:  caigo, tà º caes, el/ella/usted cae, nosotros/nosotras caemos, vosotros/vosotras caà ©is, ellos/ellas/ustedes caen (I fall, you fall, he/she falls, etc.) Preterite: yo caà ­, tà º caà ­ste, el/ella/usted cayà ³, nosotros/nosotras caà ­mos, vosotros/vosotras caà ­steis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cayeron (I fell, you fell, etc.) Present subjunctive: que caiga, que tà º caigas, que el/ella/usted caiga, que nosotros/nosotras caigamos, que vosotros/vosotras cagà ¡is, que ellos/ellas/ustedes caigan (that I fall, that you fall, etc.) Imperfect subjunctive: que yo cayera/cayese, que tà º cayeras/cayeses, que el/ella/usted cayera/cayese, que nosotros/nosotras cayà ©ramos/cayà ©semos, que vosotros/vosotras cayerais/cayeseis, que ellos/ellas/ustedes cayeran/cayesen (that I fell, that you fell, etc.) Affirmative imperative: cae tà º, caiga usted, caigamos nosotros, caed vosotros/vosotras, caigan ustedes (you fall, you fall, let us fall, etc.) Negative imperative: no caigas tà º, no caiga usted, no caigamos nosotros/nosotras, no cagà ¡is vosotros/vosotras, no caigan ustedes (dont you fall, dont you fall, let us fall, etc.) Using the Past Participle of Caer as a Noun When used as a noun, the past participle of caer has several specific uses: Caà ­do or caà ­da can refer to someone who has died for a cause, especially in combat: Tengo mucho respeto para los veteranos por su valor militar y para todos los caà ­dos de la guerra. (I have much respect for vererans for their military valor and for all the wars fallen.)Caà ­da can refer to the dropping or falling of something: La caà ­da de piedras en la carretera causà ³ su cierre en ambos sentidos. (The rockfall on the highway caused its closure in both directions.)Caà ­da can similarly refer to a loss in value, such as a price drop: El Banco Central anuncià ³ la inyeccià ³n de 4.000 millones de dà ³lares para frenar caà ­da del peso. (The Central Bank announced the injection of $4 billion dollars to stop the pesos slide.) Key Takeaways Caer is a common Spanish verb that is usually the equivalent of to fall in its major uses.Depending on the context, caer or the noun form caà ­do can also be used to refer dying or those who have died, respectively.Caer is highly irregular in its conjugation.