Cair Conjugation in Portuguese
cair means “to fall” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 434 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. It means to fall, and it is completely regular: caio, cais, cai, caímos, caís, caem. Its pretérito perfeito is caí, caíste, caiu, caímos, caístes, caíram — note the accent on the eu and tu forms. Its gerund is caindo and its participle is caído. This page gives you the complete conjugation of cair — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu caio no chão.” — “I fall on the floor.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: cair
- English: to fall
- Verb type: Regular -ir verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: caindo
- Present participle: —
- Past participle: caído
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ir verbs; pattern air in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for cair, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read cair in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about cair
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ir pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle caído. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is caindo and the past participle is caído: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. There is no present participle form listed for this verb in the verified tables. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for cair. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | caio |
| tu | cais |
| ele/ela | cai |
| nós | caímos |
| vós | caís |
| eles/elas | caem |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu caio no chão.” — “I fall on the floor”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | caí |
| tu | caíste |
| ele/ela | caiu |
| nós | caímos |
| vós | caístes |
| eles/elas | caíram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu caí no chão ontem.” — “I fell on the floor”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | caía |
| tu | caías |
| ele/ela | caía |
| nós | caíamos |
| vós | caíeis |
| eles/elas | caíam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu caía no chão antigamente.” — “I used to fall on the floor”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | caíra |
| tu | caíras |
| ele/ela | caíra |
| nós | caíramos |
| vós | caíreis |
| eles/elas | caíram |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu caíra no chão antes do jantar.” — “I had fallen on the floor”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | cairei |
| tu | cairás |
| ele/ela | cairá |
| nós | cairemos |
| vós | caireis |
| eles/elas | cairão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu cairei no chão amanhã.” — “I will fall on the floor”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | cairia |
| tu | cairias |
| ele/ela | cairia |
| nós | cairíamos |
| vós | cairíeis |
| eles/elas | cairiam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu cairia no chão um dia.” — “I would fall on the floor”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho caído |
| tu | tens caído |
| ele/ela | tem caído |
| nós | temos caído |
| vós | tendes caído |
| eles/elas | têm caído |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem caído no chão esta semana.” — “He has fallen on the floor”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha caído |
| tu | tinhas caído |
| ele/ela | tinha caído |
| nós | tínhamos caído |
| vós | tínheis caído |
| eles/elas | tinham caído |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha caído no chão antes do jantar.” — “I had fallen on the floor”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei caído |
| tu | terás caído |
| ele/ela | terá caído |
| nós | teremos caído |
| vós | tereis caído |
| eles/elas | terão caído |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei caído no chão até amanhã.” — “I will have fallen on the floor”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria caído |
| tu | terias caído |
| ele/ela | teria caído |
| nós | teríamos caído |
| vós | teríeis caído |
| eles/elas | teriam caído |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria caído no chão ontem.” — “I would have fallen on the floor”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | caia |
| tu | caias |
| ele/ela | caia |
| nós | caiamos |
| vós | caiais |
| eles/elas | caiam |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu caia no chão.” — “It is important that I fall on the floor”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | caísse |
| tu | caísses |
| ele/ela | caísse |
| nós | caíssemos |
| vós | caísseis |
| eles/elas | caíssem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu caísse no chão.” — “It was important that I fall on the floor”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | cair |
| tu | caíres |
| ele/ela | cair |
| nós | cairmos |
| vós | cairdes |
| eles/elas | caírem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu cair no chão, é bom.” — “If I fall on the floor, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | cai |
| ele/ela | caia |
| nós | caiamos |
| vós | caí |
| eles/elas | caiam |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Cai no chão!” — “Fall on the floor!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não caias |
| ele/ela | não caia |
| nós | não caiamos |
| vós | não caiais |
| eles/elas | não caiam |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não caias no chão.” — “Do not fall on the floor.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha caído |
| tu | tenhas caído |
| ele/ela | tenha caído |
| nós | tenhamos caído |
| vós | tenhais caído |
| eles/elas | tenham caído |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha caído no chão.” — “It is important that I have fallen on the floor”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse caído |
| tu | tivesses caído |
| ele/ela | tivesse caído |
| nós | tivéssemos caído |
| vós | tivésseis caído |
| eles/elas | tivessem caído |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse caído no chão.” — “It was important that I had fallen on the floor”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver caído |
| tu | tiveres caído |
| ele/ela | tiver caído |
| nós | tivermos caído |
| vós | tiverdes caído |
| eles/elas | tiverem caído |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver caído no chão, é bom.” — “If I have fallen on the floor, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | caindo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Caindo no chão, aprendo muito.” — “While falling on the floor, I learn a lot.”
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | caído |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho caído no chão esta semana.” — “I have fallen on the floor.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with cair, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu caio no chão.” — “I fall on the floor”
- “Tu caíste no chão ontem.” — “You fell on the floor”
- “Ele caía no chão antigamente.” — “He used to fall on the floor”
- “Eu cairei no chão amanhã.” — “I will fall on the floor”
- “Tu cairias no chão um dia.” — “You would fall on the floor”
- “Ele tem caído no chão esta semana.” — “He has fallen on the floor”
- “Eu tinha caído no chão antes do jantar.” — “I had fallen on the floor”
- “Tu terás caído no chão até amanhã.” — “You will have fallen on the floor”
- “É importante que eu caia no chão.” — “It is important that I fall on the floor”
- “Cai no chão!” — “Fall on the floor!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Eu cair no chão.”
✓ Right: “Eu caio no chão.”
The infinitive cair never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form caio.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu cais no chão.”
✓ Right: “Eu caio no chão.”
cais is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with caio.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Eu caio no chão ontem.”
✓ Right: “Eu caí no chão ontem.”
Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito caí for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou caído no chão.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho caído no chão esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of cair is formed with ter plus the past participle caído: the eu form is tenho caído. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu caio no chão.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu caia no chão.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use caia here, not the indicative caio.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho caindo no chão.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho caído no chão esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle caído, not the gerund caindo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on cair. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of cair in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) cais
- B) caio
- C) cai
- D) caímos
What is the ele/ela form of cair in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) caí
- B) caíste
- C) caiu
- D) caímos
What is the nós form of cair in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) caía
- B) caías
- C) caíeis
- D) caíamos
What is the tu form of cair in the Futuro do presente?
- A) cairás
- B) cairei
- C) cairá
- D) cairemos
What is the eu form of cair in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) cairias
- B) cairia
- C) cairíamos
- D) cairíeis
What is the ele/ela form of cair in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho caído
- B) tens caído
- C) tem caído
- D) temos caído
What is the ele/ela form of cair in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) caias
- B) caiamos
- C) caiais
- D) caia
What is the eu form of cair in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) caísse
- B) caísses
- C) caíssemos
- D) caísseis
What is the gerund of cair?
- A) caído
- B) caindo
- C) cair
- D) caio
What does cair mean in English?
- A) to ask for
- B) to receive
- C) to fall
- D) to pay
Answer key
- B) caio — the correct form is caio. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) caiu — the correct form is caiu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) caíamos — the correct form is caíamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) cairás — the correct form is cairás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) cairia — the correct form is cairia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem caído — the correct form is tem caído. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) caia — the correct form is caia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) caísse — the correct form is caísse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) caindo — the correct form is caindo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to fall — the correct form is to fall. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does cair mean in English?
cair means “to fall”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is cair regular or irregular?
cair is regular: it follows the ordinary -ir pattern in every tense. The gerund is caindo and the past participle is caído.
What are the gerund and past participle of cair?
The gerund is caindo — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is caído — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho caído.
Which auxiliary does cair take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
cair takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho caído. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle caído.
How do I say “I fall” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu caio no chão.” — “I fall on the floor” The eu form of the present is caio, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of cair — every tense of cair in one place.
- Cair in the pretérito perfeito tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Cair examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese pretérito perfeito tense guide — the full guide to the pretérito perfeito tense in Portuguese.
- Pedir conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Abrir conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise cair with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise cair with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise cair with the interactive tool.