Caer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

caer means “to fall” 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. Caer means to fall, and it covers falling down, rain falling, leaves falling, prices falling and night falling. It is one of the most frequent irregular verbs in Spanish, with caigo in the present and cayó in the preterite, and it appears in idioms such as caer bien, to make a good impression. 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 caer; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the caer preterite tense page.

caer in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

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

  1. Yo caigo al suelo por el hielo. — I fall to the ground on the ice.
  2. Él/Ella cae de la escalera en casa. — He falls down the stairs at home.
  3. Nosotros/as caemos la lluvia sobre la ciudad. — We fall the rain on the city.
  4. Ellos/as caen las hojas en otoño. — They fall the leaves in autumn.

In the past

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

  1. Ayer, Yo caí la lluvia sobre la ciudad. — Yesterday, I fell the rain on the city.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as caíamos las hojas en otoño. — Before, We used to fall the leaves in autumn.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella cayó al suelo por el hielo. — Yesterday, He fell to the ground on the ice.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as caían de la escalera en casa. — As children, They used to fall down the stairs at home.

Plans, hopes and wishes

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

  1. Mañana, Tú caerás al suelo por el hielo. — Tomorrow, You will fall to the ground on the ice.
  2. Yo caería de la escalera en casa. — I would fall down the stairs at home.
  3. Espero que él caiga la lluvia sobre la ciudad. — I hope he falls the rain on the city.
  4. Él/Ella ha caído las hojas en otoño. — He has fallen the leaves in autumn.

caer in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú caes al suelo por el hielo mañana? — Are you going to fall to the ground on the ice tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo caigo al suelo por el hielo todos los días. — Yes, I fall to the ground on the ice every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana caerás de la escalera en casa? — And tomorrow, will you fall down the stairs at home? Luis: Claro, mañana caeré de la escalera en casa sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will fall down the stairs at home without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo caeré la lluvia sobre la ciudad también. — Perfect. I will fall the rain on the city too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer caí la lluvia sobre la ciudad. — Yesterday, I fell the rain on the city. Ana: ¿Y antes caías las hojas en otoño? — And before, did you use to fall the leaves in autumn? Luis: Sí, antes caía las hojas en otoño todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to fall the leaves in autumn every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos cayeron al suelo por el hielo? — And did your brothers fell to the ground on the ice? Luis: Sí, ellos cayeron al suelo por el hielo por la tarde. — Yes, they fell to the ground on the ice in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo cae al suelo por el hielo. — Right: Yo caigo al suelo por el hielo. — The person matters: cae is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is caigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Yo cao de la escalera en casa. — Right: Yo caigo de la escalera en casa. — Caer is irregular: the present is yo caigo, never cao.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo caió la lluvia sobre la ciudad. — Right: Ayer, yo cayó la lluvia sobre la ciudad. — Caer is irregular: the third-person preterite is cayó, with a y, never caió.
  4. Wrong: Treating caer and caerse as identical in every context. — Right: Caer means to fall, while caerse means to fall down yourself, the reflexive form. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: caer fits sentences such as Caigo al suelo por el hielo, while caerse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  5. Wrong: Yo soy caído de la escalera en casa. — Right: Yo he caído de la escalera en casa. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he caído, has caído, ha caído. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ las hojas en otoño. (present tense) A. caen B. caigo C. caes D. cae

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ al suelo por el hielo. (preterite tense) A. caí B. caíste C. cayó D. caímos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ de la escalera en casa. (imperfect tense) A. caíamos B. caíais C. caías D. caía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ la lluvia sobre la ciudad. (future tense) A. caeremos B. caerá C. caeré D. caerás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ las hojas en otoño. (conditional tense) A. caeríamos B. caería C. caerías D. caeríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ al suelo por el hielo. (present-perfect tense) A. has caído B. ha caído C. hemos caído D. he caído

  7. What does caer mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to fall D. to fall down yourself, the reflexive form

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo caí la lluvia sobre la ciudad. B. Yo cae al suelo por el hielo. C. Yo caigo al suelo por el hielo. D. Él/Ella cae de la escalera en casa.

  9. Which is the gerund of caer, used with estar for the progressive? A. cayendo B. caído C. caigo D. caí

  10. Which is the past participle of caer, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. cayendo B. caigo C. caí D. caído

Answer key

  1. caen — The correct form here is caen.
  2. caímos — The correct form here is caímos.
  3. caías — The correct form here is caías.
  4. caerá — The correct form here is caerá.
  5. caeríamos — The correct form here is caeríamos.
  6. he caído — The correct form here is he caído.
  7. to fall — Caer means to fall. Caerse means to fall down yourself, the reflexive form, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo cae al suelo por el hielo. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo caigo al suelo por el hielo.. The person matters: cae is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is caigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. cayendo — The gerund of caer is cayendo: estoy cayendo.
  10. caído — The past participle of caer is caído: he caído, has caído, ha caído.

Frequently asked questions

What does caer mean?

Caer means to fall. Caer means to fall, and it covers falling down, rain falling, leaves falling, prices falling and night falling. It is one of the most frequent irregular verbs in Spanish, with caigo in the present and cayó in the preterite, and it appears in idioms such as caer bien, to make a good impression.

When do people use caer most?

People use caer most in everyday situations such as Yo caigo al suelo por el hielo. and Ayer, Yo caí la lluvia sobre la ciudad.. 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 caer and caerse?

Caer means to fall, while caerse means to fall down yourself, the reflexive form. 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 caer?

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

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