caerle: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  SpainLatin Americaneutral
  • used with an indirect object to indicate that someone makes a certain impression on another person (e.g., to be liked or disliked by someone)
  • to come across to someone in a particular way

  Examples

  Beta

  • A mí me cae muy bien Ana; siempre es amable y sabe escuchar.

    I really like Ana; she is always kind and knows how to listen.

  • No sé por qué a él le cae mal Carlos, pero siempre evitan hablar cuando están juntos.

    I don’t know why Carlos rubs him the wrong way, but they always avoid talking when they’re together.

  • A los niños les cayó genial el nuevo maestro de matemáticas y están emocionados por la clase.

    The kids really liked the new math teacher and are excited about the class.

• 2.

  SpainLatin Americaneutral
  • to fall on someone physically; to land on top of someone

  Examples

  Beta

  • En el accidente, la caja cayó sobre él y tuvo que ir al hospital por precaución.

    In the accident, the box fell on him and he had to go to the hospital as a precaution.

  • Cuando la rama cayó en la carretera, varios coches se detuvieron para evitar el accidente.

    When the branch fell on the road, several cars stopped to avoid an accident.

  • El vaso le cayó de las manos y se rompió en mil pedazos en el suelo.

    The glass fell from his hands and shattered into a thousand pieces on the floor.

  • ¿Recuerdas cuando la nieve le cayó encima y tuvo que cambiarse toda la ropa mojada?

    Do you remember when the snow fell on him and he had to change all his wet clothes?

• 3.

  SpainLatin Americacolloquial
  • to come down on someone suddenly or forcefully (metaphorical use, e.g., to attack, criticize, or overwhelm someone)

  Examples

  Beta

  • Después de que le cayeran críticas duras por su error, Marta decidió cambiar su método de trabajo.

    After she was suddenly hit with harsh criticism for her mistake, Marta decided to change her working method.

  • No te preocupes, no te va a caer encima el jefe por ese pequeño fallo, solo te dará una advertencia.

    Don't worry, the boss won't come down hard on you for that small mistake, he'll just give you a warning.

  • Cuando el profesor se enteró de la falta, le cayó con todo y le suspendió el examen sin piedad.

    When the teacher found out about the infraction, he came down on him hard and failed him on the exam mercilessly.