Recaer in the Preterite Tense
Recaer means “to relapse, to fall again”, and this page covers exactly one thing: recaer in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for recaer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about recaer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — Yesterday, I relapsed into illness after getting better. Everything on this page uses the forms of recaer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Recaer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | recaí |
| tú | recaíste |
| él/ella/Ud. | recayó |
| nosotros/as | recaímos |
| vosotros/as | recaísteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | recayeron |
Gerund: recayendo · Past participle: recaído
The gerund is recayendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy recayendo” means the action of recaer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is recaído, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he recaído” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how recaer is used.
How the preterite of recaer is formed
Recaer is regular in the preterite tense. Take the stem reca and add the preterite endings for -er verbs: -í, -íste, -yó, -ímos, -ísteis, -yeron, giving recaí, recaíste, recayó, recaímos, recaísteis, recayeron. Watch the accents: the yo form is recaí and the él/ella/Ud. form is recayó.
When to use the preterite of recaer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use recaer in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. One finished action
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — Yesterday, I relapsed into illness after getting better.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros recaímos en el vicio después de un año.” — We relapsed into the bad habit after a year.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él recayó sobre sus hombros el trabajo ayer.” — He relapsed on his shoulders, the work yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos recayeron en la depresión en invierno de repente.” — They relapsed into depression in winter suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú recaíste en la enfermedad tras mejorar la semana pasada.” — You relapsed into illness after getting better last week.
Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — Yesterday, I relapsed into illness after getting better.
Imperfect: “Yo recaía en la enfermedad tras mejorar cada día.” — I used to relapse into illness after getting better every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él recayó en el vicio después de un año.” — Last night, he relapsed into the bad habit after a year.
Imperfect: “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.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros recaímos sobre sus hombros el trabajo ayer.” — We relapsed on his shoulders, the work yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros recaíamos sobre sus hombros el trabajo cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to relapse on his shoulders, the work when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: recaer in the preterite
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — I relapsed into illness after getting better.
“Recaíste en el vicio después de un año.” — You relapsed into the bad habit after a year.
“Recayó sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” — He/she relapsed on his shoulders, the work.
“Recaímos en la depresión en invierno.” — We relapsed into depression in winter.
“Recaísteis en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” — You relapsed into illness after getting better.
“Recayeron en el vicio después de un año.” — They relapsed into the bad habit after a year.
“Recaí sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” — I relapsed on his shoulders, the work.
“Recayó en la depresión en invierno.” — He/she relapsed into depression in winter.
Common mistakes with recaer in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos recayó en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” Right: “Ellos recayeron en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form recayeron. The singular recayó belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
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.
Wrong: “Nosotros recaíste sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” Right: “Nosotros recaímos sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” Why: Nosotros needs recaímos. The tú form recaíste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos recaí en la depresión en invierno.” Right: “Ellos recayeron en la depresión en invierno.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form recayeron, not the yo form recaí.
Quiz: recaer in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” (Into illness after getting better.)
- (a) recaí
- (b) recaíste
- (c) recayó
Answer: recaí — The yo form of recaer in the preterite is recaí. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ en el vicio después de un año?” (Into the bad habit after a year.)
- (a) recaí
- (b) recayó
- (c) recaíste
Answer: recaíste — The tú form of recaer in the preterite is recaíste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ sobre sus hombros el trabajo.” (On his shoulders, the work.)
- (a) recaíste
- (b) recayó
- (c) recaí
Answer: recayó — The él/ella/Ud. form of recaer in the preterite is recayó. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ en la depresión en invierno.” (Into depression in winter.)
- (a) recaímos
- (b) recaí
- (c) recaíste
Answer: recaímos — The nosotros/as form of recaer in the preterite is recaímos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of recaer in the preterite?
- (a) recaí
- (b) recaíste
- (c) recaísteis
Answer: recaísteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes recaísteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros recaísteis en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ en el vicio después de un año.” (Into the bad habit after a year.)
- (a) recaíste
- (b) recayeron
- (c) recaí
Answer: recayeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of recaer in the preterite is recayeron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of recaer in the preterite?
- (a) recaí
- (b) recaíste
- (c) recayó
Answer: recaí — The yo form is recaí. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo recaía en la enfermedad tras mejorar cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo recaeré en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
- (c) Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.
Answer: Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar. — “Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is recaer regular in the preterite?
Recaer is a spelling-change verb, so some forms change spelling to keep the same consonant sound, but the preterite forms in the table above are the correct ones: recaí, recaíste, recayó, recaímos, recaísteis, recayeron.
What is the past participle of recaer?
The past participle is recaído: 'He recaído' means 'I have relapsed'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is recayendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for recaer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo recaí en la enfermedad tras mejorar. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo recaía en la enfermedad tras mejorar cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of recaer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo recaí, tú recaíste, él/ella/Ud. recayó, nosotros/as recaímos, vosotros/as recaísteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. recayeron. Then write three of your own sentences with recaer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of recaer — every tense of recaer in one place.
- Recaer examples and quiz — more sentences with recaer and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on recaer and other verbs.