Recaer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Recaer means “to relapse, to fall again”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Recaer means to relapse or to fall again, and it is used for falling ill again after recovering, falling back into a bad habit and a responsibility falling on someone. It follows the pattern of caer, with the present recaigo and the preterite recaí. This page shows recaer in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — I relapse into illness after getting better.
Recaer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how recaer is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use recaer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — I relapse into illness after getting better.
“¿Tú recaes en el vicio después de un año?” — Do you relapse into the bad habit after a year?
“Recae sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” — He/she relapses on his shoulders, the work.
“Recaemos en la depresión en invierno.” — We relapse into depression in winter.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show recaer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — Yesterday, I relapsed into illness after getting better. (preterite)
“Él recaía en el vicio después de un año todos los días.” — He used to relapse into the bad habit after a year every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of recaer stays the same.
“Nosotros recaeremos sobre sus hombros el trabajo mañana.” — We will relapse on his shoulders, the work tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has recaído en la depresión en invierno?” — Have you relapsed into depression in winter? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Recaéis en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — You relapse into illness after getting better.
“Recaen en el vicio después de un año.” — They relapse into the bad habit after a year.
“Recaigo sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” — I relapse on his shoulders, the work.
“Recae en la depresión en invierno.” — He/she relapses into depression in winter.
Recaer in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how recaer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú recaes en la enfermedad tras mejorar?” — Do you relapse into illness after getting better?
Carlos: “Sí, yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — Yes, I relapse into illness after getting better.
Lucía: “Nosotros recaemos en el vicio después de un año.” — We relapse into the bad habit after a year.
Carlos: “Y ellos recaen sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” — And they relapse on his shoulders, the work.
Lucía: “Vosotros recaéis en la depresión en invierno.” — You relapse into depression in winter.
Carlos: “Sí, y él recae en el vicio después de un año.” — Yes, and he relapses into the bad habit after a year.
A short paragraph
Lucía recae en la enfermedad tras mejorar, y Carlos recae en el vicio después de un año. Nosotros recaemos sobre sus hombros el trabajo, y ellos recaen en la depresión en invierno. Yo recaigo sobre sus hombros el trabajo, y mi padre recae en la depresión en invierno. Recaer is part of everyday life, because to relapse, to fall again is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with recaer
These are the errors learners actually make with recaer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo recae en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” Right: “Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” Why: The person matters: recae is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is recaigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo he recaido sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” Right: “Yo he recaído sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” Why: The past participle of recaer is irregular: recaído, not recaido. Every perfect tense uses he recaído, había recaído and so on.
Wrong: “Treating recaer and recuperarse as identical in every context.” Right: “Recaer means to relapse, to fall again, while recuperarse means to recover.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: recaer fits sentences such as Recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar, while recuperarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy recaído en el vicio después de un año.” Right: “Yo he recaído en el vicio después de un año.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he recaído, has recaído, ha recaído. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo recaí sobre sus hombros el trabajo todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo recaía sobre sus hombros el trabajo todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (recaía), not the preterite. The preterite (recaí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: recaer in use
Ten questions on recaer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” (Into illness after getting better.)
- (a) recaéis
- (b) recaigo
- (c) recaes
Answer: recaéis — The vosotros/as form of recaer in the present is recaéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en el vicio después de un año.” (Into the bad habit after a year.)
- (a) recaigo
- (b) recaes
- (c) recaen
Answer: recaen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of recaer in the present is recaen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” (Into illness after getting better.)
- (a) recayó
- (b) recaí
- (c) recaíste
Answer: recaí — The yo form of recaer in the preterite is recaí.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ en el vicio después de un año.” (Into the bad habit after a year.)
- (a) recaía
- (b) recaías
- (c) recaíamos
Answer: recaía — The él/ella/Ud. form of recaer in the imperfect is recaía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” (On his shoulders, the work.)
- (a) recaeré
- (b) recaerás
- (c) recaeremos
Answer: recaeremos — The nosotros/as form of recaer in the future is recaeremos.
6. What does recaer mean in English?
- (a) to decline, to weaken
- (b) to relapse, to fall again
- (c) to recover
Answer: to relapse, to fall again — Recaer means “to relapse, to fall again”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
- (b) Ellos recae en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
- (c) Yo recaigo en el vicio después de un año ayer.
Answer: Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar. — “Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I relapse into illness after getting better.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo recaen en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
- (b) Yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
- (c) Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
Answer: Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar. — “Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of recaer in the present tense?
- (a) recaes
- (b) recaemos
- (c) recaigo
Answer: recaemos — The nosotros form is recaemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
- (b) Nosotros recaeremos en la enfermedad tras mejorar mañana.
- (c) Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
Answer: Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar. — “Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I relapse' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar todos los días'.
How do you say 'I relapse' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo recaí en el vicio después de un año'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo recaía en el vicio después de un año todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he recaído en el vicio después de un año'.
What is the difference between recaer and recuperarse?
Recaer means to relapse, to fall again, while recuperarse means to recover. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use recaer when you mean to relapse, to fall again, as in Recaigo en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of recaer — every tense of recaer in one place.
- Recaer in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on recaer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of recaer until they are automatic.