What is the difference between "caer" and "caerse"?
I don't understand the difference between these two verbs. They each have several meanings, similar to the English verb "to fall."
Here is my understanding so far: "caer" is used for things or in for indefinite subjects, and "caerse" is used for persons.
But this seems to be incorrect, because the dictionary gives, as the first example for "caer"
tropezó y cayó al suelo -> she tripped and fell (over or down)
I remember telling someone that my nephew fell off his bicycle by saying "Se cayó de su bicicleta." That seemed to be acceptable to the person I was speaking to at the time though she was also very forgiving of my Spanish.
Perhaps this is a matter of shades of meaning in Spanish that I will just have to learn, but I really would have said "se cayó" in the example given in the dictionary.
So, any guidance would be helpful!
Many thanks!
¡Muchas gracias!
9 Answers
If you google online (caer vs caerse) you will find many articles like the one below:
The only problem is many reasons are postulated concerning inanimate and animate objects, whether it is just a matter of emphasis, etc., but very few verifiable facts are presented; just a lot of suppositions.
Before I would discuss the usage with you, I would want to know if use are familiar with the use of se with unforeseen or unplanned circumstances. I believe many of the uses with the pronoun are to express that something accidentally fell or was unintentionally dropped.
There are a couple of those examples (with caerse) given in this article:
Verbs expressing movement may have two uses, intransitive (1) and pronominal (2).
When (1) intransitive, the point of arrival is emphasized: Fue a Francia. Cayó a tierra.
When (2) pronominal, the point of departure is emphasized: Se fue de casa. Se cayó de la bici.
This very general explanation goes for peninsular Spanish; I don't know if it equally applies to the Latin American varieties.
Hope it helps!
Caerse can also be used like "to drop" or "spill." Se me cayó mi cerveza-I dropped my drink (or, really, the drink was fallen to me). It falls under the accidental se category, like removing blame from me (which I LIKE haha). El florero se cayó-the vase knocked over, etc.
Caer is an intransitive verb which does not take or require a direct object whether expressed or implied. "Me hice daño al caer" - I fell and hurt myself.
Caerse is a pronominal verb, concerning a pronoun. ¿te has caído? - did you fall over?
A propósito, la gramática no es mi fuerza, hehe.
But I still don't get why the dictionary lists an example sentence for caer as "tropezó y cayó al suelo -> she tripped and fell (over or down)". That seems to me to be unexpected.
I'm sure that you have figured this out by now, but let me clip something from the RAE book of Dudas on caer(se)
- Cuando significa ‘perder el equilibrio hasta dar en tierra’, puede usarse en forma pronominal y no pronominal: «Tropezó y cayó de rodillas» (VLlosa Tía [Perú 1977]); «Se cayó de cabeza y se mató» (Paso Palinuro [Méx. 1977]).
This is why there is so much debate in the discussions on how to use it. Some argue one side; some another; when both are acceptable in that context. Make sure that you read also the note about dropping something (dejar caer).
Hmm, a few views and votes but only one answer. I guess this is one of those things I'll just have to learn as I go. I understand that caerse is a reflexive verb and that caer is not, but why and when caer becomes reflexive is still a mystery to me. The first example given in the dictionary seems to me to be a situation where both the verbs would be reflexive.
And yes, I know that English is even more mysterious!
Hi all !
This is my first response to a question. I'm Argentinian and over here we use the "se" form quite often. It really doesn't matter when to use it, just have to use it right.
Examples:
Ese vaso se puede caer -- Ese vaso puede caerse
Also in 1st person:
Si me suelto me puedo caer -- Si me suelto puedo caerme
Like the above examples, I can give thousands, but the point is to understand that the verb can be used almost everywhere.
Thanks !!
"Caer" is an intransitive verb. "Caerse" is a pronominal verb or a verb reflexive. The pronominal or reflexive quality of "caerse" is given by the pronoun "se" glued to the verb: caer + se. I hope this was somewhat helpful.
Caerse = Se cae
