CAER 2 Explanation & Phrases Flashcards
The Spanish verb caer usually carries the idea of “to fall” and can be used in a variety of situations. While many of its uses can be translated using the English verb “fall,” a few cannot.
The most common uses of caer: Meaning “to fall,” “to drop” or “to fall over”:
The plane fell into the ocean.
El avión cayó en el océano.
If lemons fall to (on) you from the sky, learn to make lemonade.
Si del cielo te caen limones, aprende a hacer limonada.
The boats dropped/fell over the cataracts/ falls .
Los barcos cayeron por las cataratas.
“por” expressing movement along, through, around, by or about:
The car fell into the ravine. /or cliff
El coche cayó por el barranco.
“por” expressing movement along, through, around, by or about:
For reasons unknown
Por causas que se desconocen.
You dropped something. You let (verb 2nd pers Preterite) to drop (Infinitive) something
Dejaste caer algo.
I’m afraid to fall.
Tengo miedo de caer.
You’ll fall! You are going to fall
Te vas a caer.
I dropped my keys. I let (1st Pers Preterite) to fall my keys
Dejé caer mis llaves.
Don’t drop that glass. Don’t — let —- to fall —- that glass.
No dejes caer ese vaso.
He hurt himself when he fell.
Él se lastimó al caer.
Tom dropped the ball. Tom — let — to fall — the ball
Tom dejó caer la pelota.
It could fall into the wrong hands.
Podría caer en manos equivocadas.
The tank fell off a bridge.
El tanque se cayó de un puente.
The same meaning can be applied figuratively:
Bolivian tourism declined because of the flu.
El turismo en Bolivia cayó por la gripe.
When speaking of weather:
There’s going to be a downpour.
Va a caer un chaparrón.
To convey the idea of succumbing: CAER is frequently used to indicate the idea of succumbing or being overtaken by a force of some sort,
or to fall into an error.
The man fell into the FBI’s trap.
El hombre cayó en la trampa del FBI.
Don’t make the mistake of making promises you cannot keep.
No caigas en el error de prometer lo que no puedes conseguir.
Paris fell to (under) the Nazi tanks.
París cayó bajo los tanques nazis
After suffering from cancer, I fell into depression.
Tras padecer un cáncer, caí en depresión.
“Tras” – “after” —- Indica que alguna cosa sucede a continuación de otra
To “fall on” a certain date: This year my birthday falls on a Thursday.
Este año mi cumpleaños cae en jueves.
The youth had a serious accident
El joven sufrió un grave accidente
when he fell from the factory’s roof.
al caer desde el tejado de la fábrica.
