Caber Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

caber means “to fit” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Caber means to fit, and it is used for things fitting into a space: a suitcase fits in the car, a book fits on the shelf, ten people fit in the room, you fit in a dress. It is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with quepo in the present, cupe in the preterite and cabré in the future, and it must be learned as a set. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of caber; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the caber preterite tense page.

caber in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with caber in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo quepo en la maleta del viaje. — I fit in the travel suitcase.
  2. Él/Ella cabe en el coche con las maletas. — He fits in the car with the suitcases.
  3. Nosotros/as cabemos en la estantería del salón. — We fit on the living-room shelf.
  4. Ellos/as caben en el armario del dormitorio. — They fit in the bedroom wardrobe.

In the past

Four sentences with caber in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo cupe en la estantería del salón. — Yesterday, I fit on the living-room shelf.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as cabíamos en el armario del dormitorio. — Before, We used to fit in the bedroom wardrobe.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella cupo en la maleta del viaje. — Yesterday, He fit in the travel suitcase.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as cabían en el coche con las maletas. — As children, They used to fit in the car with the suitcases.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with caber in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú cabrás en la maleta del viaje. — Tomorrow, You will fit in the travel suitcase.
  2. Yo cabría en el coche con las maletas. — I would fit in the car with the suitcases.
  3. Espero que él quepa en la estantería del salón. — I hope he fits on the living-room shelf.
  4. Él/Ella ha cabido en el armario del dormitorio. — He has fit in the bedroom wardrobe.

caber in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú cabes en la maleta del viaje mañana? — Are you going to fit in the travel suitcase tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo quepo en la maleta del viaje todos los días. — Yes, I fit in the travel suitcase every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana cabrás en el coche con las maletas? — And tomorrow, will you fit in the car with the suitcases? Luis: Claro, mañana cabré en el coche con las maletas sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will fit in the car with the suitcases without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo cabré en la estantería del salón también. — Perfect. I will fit on the living-room shelf too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer cupe en la estantería del salón. — Yesterday, I fit on the living-room shelf. Ana: ¿Y antes cabías en el armario del dormitorio? — And before, did you use to fit in the bedroom wardrobe? Luis: Sí, antes cabía en el armario del dormitorio todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to fit in the bedroom wardrobe every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos cupieron en la maleta del viaje? — And did your brothers fit in the travel suitcase? Luis: Sí, ellos cupieron en la maleta del viaje por la tarde. — Yes, they fit in the travel suitcase in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cabe en la maleta del viaje. — Right: Yo quepo en la maleta del viaje. — The person matters: cabe is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is quepo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo cabo en el coche con las maletas. — Right: Yo quepo en el coche con las maletas. — Caber is highly irregular: the present is yo quepo, never cabo.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo cabí en la estantería del salón. — Right: Ayer, yo cupe en la estantería del salón. — Caber is highly irregular: the preterite is yo cupe, never cabí.
  4. Wrong: Treating caber and entrar as identical in every context. — Right: Caber means to fit, while entrar means to go in or fit into a place. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: caber fits sentences such as Quepo en la maleta del viaje, while entrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  5. Wrong: Yo soy cabido en el coche con las maletas. — Right: Yo he cabido en el coche con las maletas. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he cabido, has cabido, ha cabido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on caber in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ en el armario del dormitorio. (present tense) A. caben B. quepo C. cabes D. cabe

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ en la maleta del viaje. (preterite tense) A. cupe B. cupiste C. cupo D. cupimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ en el coche con las maletas. (imperfect tense) A. cabíamos B. cabíais C. cabías D. cabía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ en la estantería del salón. (future tense) A. cabremos B. cabrá C. cabré D. cabrás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ en el armario del dormitorio. (conditional tense) A. cabríamos B. cabría C. cabrías D. cabríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ en la maleta del viaje. (present-perfect tense) A. has cabido B. ha cabido C. hemos cabido D. he cabido

  7. What does caber mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to fit D. to go in or fit into a place

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo cupe en la estantería del salón. B. Yo cabe en la maleta del viaje. C. Yo quepo en la maleta del viaje. D. Él/Ella cabe en el coche con las maletas.

  9. Which is the gerund of caber, used with estar for the progressive? A. cabiendo B. cabido C. quepo D. cupe

  10. Which is the past participle of caber, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cabiendo B. quepo C. cupe D. cabido

Answer key

  1. caben — The correct form here is caben.
  2. cupimos — The correct form here is cupimos.
  3. cabías — The correct form here is cabías.
  4. cabrá — The correct form here is cabrá.
  5. cabríamos — The correct form here is cabríamos.
  6. he cabido — The correct form here is he cabido.
  7. to fit — Caber means to fit. Entrar means to go in or fit into a place, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo cabe en la maleta del viaje. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo quepo en la maleta del viaje.. The person matters: cabe is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is quepo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. cabiendo — The gerund of caber is cabiendo: estoy cabiendo.
  10. cabido — The past participle of caber is cabido: he cabido, has cabido, ha cabido.

Frequently asked questions

What does caber mean?

Caber means to fit. Caber means to fit, and it is used for things fitting into a space: a suitcase fits in the car, a book fits on the shelf, ten people fit in the room, you fit in a dress. It is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with quepo in the present, cupe in the preterite and cabré in the future, and it must be learned as a set.

When do people use caber most?

People use caber most in everyday situations such as Yo quepo en la maleta del viaje. and Ayer, Yo cupe en la estantería del salón.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between caber and entrar?

Caber means to fit, while entrar means to go in or fit into a place. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of caber?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of caber as your reference, the caber preterite tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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