Caer Conjugation | How to Conjugate Caer in Spanish

Caer means “to fall,” “to drop,” “to decline,” or in expressions “to realize / make an impression.” You will learn caigo, cayó/cayeron, caiga, cayera, cayendo, and caído.

Caer conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. RAE gives caigo in first-person present, third-person preterite cayó / cayeron, present subjunctive caiga..., past/future subjunctive cayera / cayere..., gerund cayendo, and participle caído.

Caer gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber in compound forms. The participle caído remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	caer	to fall / drop
Gerund	cayendo	falling / dropping
Past participle	caído	fallen / dropped

Caer meaning and essential uses

Caer is mainly intransitive. Its basic sense is downward movement by gravity: La hoja cae al suelo. — “The leaf falls to the ground.” It also covers losing balance and decreases in level or value.

RAE records several important extensions: caer bien / mal — “to make a good / bad impression,” caer en — “to fall into,” and Ahora caigo — “Now I realize / understand.”

Caer irregular conjugation patterns

Present indicative is caigo, caes, cae, caemos, caéis, caen. Preterite keeps caí / caíste / caímos / caísteis, but third-person forms are cayó / cayeron.

Present subjunctive uses caig-: caiga, caigas, caigamos, caigáis, caigan. Past/future subjunctive use cayer-. The gerund is cayendo, and the participle is accented caído.

Caer indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Caer present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The first-person singular is caigo; the remaining present forms use ca- / cae- as shown.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caigo	I fall / drop
Tú — you, singular informal	caes	you fall / drop
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	cae	he / she falls / drops; you fall / drop (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	caemos	we fall / drop
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	caéis	you fall / drop (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	caen	they fall / drop; you fall / drop (plural)

• Caigo si pierdo el equilibrio. — I fall if I lose my balance.

Caer preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. Third-person forms are cayó / cayeron; the other preterite forms keep accented caí- where required.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caí	I fell / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	caíste	you fell / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	cayó	he / she fell / dropped; you fell / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	caímos	we fell / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	caísteis	you fell / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	cayeron	they fell / dropped; you fell / dropped (plural)

• Ayer caí en la calle. — Yesterday I fell in the street.

Caer imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caía	I used to fall / drop / was falling / dropping
Tú — you, singular informal	caías	you used to fall / drop / were falling / dropping
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	caía	he / she used to fall / drop / was falling / dropping; you used to fall / drop / were falling / dropping (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	caíamos	we used to fall / drop / were falling / dropping
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	caíais	you used to fall / drop / were falling / dropping (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	caían	they used to fall / drop / were falling / dropping; you used to fall / drop / were falling / dropping (plural)

• Las hojas caían lentamente. — The leaves were falling slowly.

Caer present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus irregular gerund cayendo.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy cayendo	I am falling / dropping
Tú — you, singular informal	estás cayendo	you are falling / dropping
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está cayendo	he / she is falling / dropping; you are falling / dropping (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos cayendo	we are falling / dropping
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis cayendo	you are falling / dropping (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están cayendo	they are falling / dropping; you are falling / dropping (plural)

• La nieve está cayendo. — The snow is falling.

Caer near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir + a + caer.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a caer	I am going to fall / drop
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a caer	you are going to fall / drop
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a caer	he / she is going to fall / drop; you are going to fall / drop (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a caer	we are going to fall / drop
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a caer	you are going to fall / drop (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a caer	they are going to fall / drop; you are going to fall / drop (plural)

• El precio va a caer pronto. — The price is going to fall soon.

Caer future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caeré	I will fall / drop
Tú — you, singular informal	caerás	you will fall / drop
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	caerá	he / she will fall / drop; you will fall / drop (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	caeremos	we will fall / drop
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	caeréis	you will fall / drop (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	caerán	they will fall / drop; you will fall / drop (plural)

• Las temperaturas caerán esta noche. — Temperatures will fall tonight.

Caer conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caería	I would fall / drop
Tú — you, singular informal	caerías	you would fall / drop
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	caería	he / she would fall / drop; you would fall / drop (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	caeríamos	we would fall / drop
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	caeríais	you would fall / drop (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	caerían	they would fall / drop; you would fall / drop (plural)

• El valor caería sin nuevas inversiones. — The value would fall without new investment.

Caer present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he caído	I have fallen / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	has caído	you have fallen / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha caído	he / she has fallen / dropped; you have fallen / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos caído	we have fallen / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis caído	you have fallen / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han caído	they have fallen / dropped; you have fallen / dropped (plural)

• Ha caído mucha lluvia. — A lot of rain has fallen.

Caer past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había caído	I had fallen / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	habías caído	you had fallen / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había caído	he / she had fallen / dropped; you had fallen / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos caído	we had fallen / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais caído	you had fallen / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían caído	they had fallen / dropped; you had fallen / dropped (plural)

• El precio ya había caído antes. — The price had already fallen before.

Caer future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré caído	I will have fallen / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás caído	you will have fallen / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá caído	he / she will have fallen / dropped; you will have fallen / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos caído	we will have fallen / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis caído	you will have fallen / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán caído	they will have fallen / dropped; you will have fallen / dropped (plural)

• Para entonces habrán caído todas las hojas. — By then all the leaves will have fallen.

Caer conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría caído	I would have fallen / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías caído	you would have fallen / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría caído	he / she would have fallen / dropped; you would have fallen / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos caído	we would have fallen / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais caído	you would have fallen / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían caído	they would have fallen / dropped; you would have fallen / dropped (plural)

• La cifra habría caído más sin apoyo. — The figure would have fallen more without support.

Caer subjunctive conjugations

Caer present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The present subjunctive uses caig- throughout.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	caiga	that I fall / drop
Tú — you, singular informal	caigas	that you fall / drop
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	caiga	that he / she fall / drop; that you fall / drop (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	caigamos	that we fall / drop
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	caigáis	that you fall / drop (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	caigan	that they fall / drop; that you fall / drop (plural)

• Espero que no caigas en la trampa. — I hope you do not fall into the trap.

Caer imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. These forms use cayer-; the main table shows the -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	cayera	that I fell / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	cayeras	that you fell / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	cayera	that he / she fell / dropped; that you fell / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	cayéramos	that we fell / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	cayerais	that you fell / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	cayeran	that they fell / dropped; that you fell / dropped (plural)

• Temían que cayera el precio. — They feared that the price would fall.
• Era posible que cayese más nieve. — It was possible that more snow would fall.

Caer future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare forms use cayer-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	cayere	if / when I should fall / drop
Tú — you, singular informal	cayeres	if / when you should fall / drop
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	cayere	if / when he / she should fall / drop; if / when you should fall / drop (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	cayéremos	if / when we should fall / drop
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	cayereis	if / when you should fall / drop (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	cayeren	if / when they should fall / drop; if / when you should fall / drop (plural)

• Quien cayere en incumplimiento deberá corregirlo. — Whoever should fall into noncompliance must correct it.

Caer present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya caído	that I have fallen / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas caído	that you have fallen / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya caído	that he / she has fallen / dropped; that you have fallen / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos caído	that we have fallen / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis caído	that you have fallen / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan caído	that they have fallen / dropped; that you have fallen / dropped (plural)

• Me preocupa que haya caído la demanda. — I am concerned that demand has fallen.

Caer past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera caído	that I had fallen / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras caído	that you had fallen / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera caído	that he / she had fallen / dropped; that you had fallen / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos caído	that we had fallen / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais caído	that you had fallen / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran caído	that they had fallen / dropped; that you had fallen / dropped (plural)

• Si hubiera caído más nieve, habrían cerrado la carretera. — If more snow had fallen, they would have closed the road.
• Si hubiese caído el precio, habríamos comprado. — If the price had fallen, we would have bought.

Caer future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Compound forms use accented participle caído.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere caído	if / when I should have fallen / dropped
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres caído	if / when you should have fallen / dropped
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere caído	if / when he / she should have fallen / dropped; if / when you should have fallen / dropped (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos caído	if / when we should have fallen / dropped
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis caído	if / when you should have fallen / dropped (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren caído	if / when they should have fallen / dropped; if / when you should have fallen / dropped (plural)

• Si hubieren caído los niveles por debajo del mínimo, deberá actuarse. — If levels should have fallen below the minimum, action must be taken.

Caer imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Caer affirmative commands

Usage-sensitive. These affirmative forms are morphologically valid, but ordinary “fall!” commands are uncommon outside choreography, controlled exercises, dramatic directions, or figurative contexts. Treat the table primarily as reference morphology.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	cae	fall
Usted — you, singular formal	caiga	fall (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	caigamos	let’s fall
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	caed	fall (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	caigan	fall (plural)

• Cae de rodillas en esa parte de la escena. — Fall to your knees in that part of the scene. (stage direction)

Caer negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no caigas	do not fall
Usted — you, singular formal	no caiga	do not fall (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no caigamos	let’s not fall
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no caigáis	do not fall (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no caigan	do not fall (plural)

• No caigas en la trampa. — Do not fall into the trap.

Common constructions with Caer

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• caer al suelo / caer de + place. — to fall to the ground / fall from somewhere.
• caer en + place / situation / trap. — to fall into a place, situation, or trap.
• caer bien / mal a alguien. — to make a good / bad impression on someone.
• caer en la cuenta / ahora caigo. — to realize / now I understand.

Example sentences with Caer

These examples reinforce useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• El vaso cayó al suelo. — The glass fell to the floor.
• Los precios están cayendo. — Prices are falling.
• Marta me cae muy bien. — I like Marta / Marta makes a very good impression on me.
• Ahora caigo en lo que querías decir. — Now I understand what you meant.
• Han caído varias ramas. — Several branches have fallen.
• No caigas en ese error. — Do not fall into that error.

Regional and usage notes for Caer

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms where vos is used.

• Vos caés bien a todo el mundo. — Everyone likes you. (voseo)
• Caé de rodillas cuando empiece la música. — Fall to your knees when the music starts. (affirmative vos; stage direction)

For caer, memorize the high-risk forms caigo, cayó / cayeron, caiga, cayera / cayere, cayendo, and caído. Commands exist morphologically but are context-sensitive; negative and figurative commands are much more natural.