(kah-AIR)
Although the literal meaning is to fall (see picture), the verb caer and its various conjugations have an assortment of practical applications in Mexican slang.
1) Me cae bien (mal). I like (dislike) that person. A person who unsuccessfully struggles to be agreeable is refered to as a caimebien.
2) Caete con la lana. This is a hold-up! Lana, like feria, billete, biyuyo or camarón is slang for money. More generally, caerse con means to give or grant. A striking way to ask for a compulsory donation is to say: caete cadáver.
3) Ya le caigo. I’m leaving.
4) Te cae? Really? // Are you serious?
5) Me cae. You bet! // I swear.
6) Me cae de madre. You fucking bet! // I swear it over my mother’s grave.
7) Se cae de buena. She’s super hot.
8) Caele a la chingada. Get lost you bastard! Caer a simply means to go somewhere. The term a la chingada refers to the most remote of places and is often replaced (in increasing tone of discontent) by al agave, a la gaver or a la verga.
9) Me cayó el veinte. I just realized something.
In cases 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, it is customary (but grammatically incorrect) to replace the letter e for i (so me cae is pronounced me cai).
Lupita: Me cai que le caíste bien a mi jefe, pero ya es tarde así que caile.
(I assure you my dad thought you were a nice guy. But it’s late now, so you should go home).
Rigoberto: Chale, te cai? (Are you serious?)
Lupita: Me cai pinche Rigo! (Fuckin’ A!)
2) Caete con la lana. This is a hold-up! Lana, like feria, billete, biyuyo or camarón is slang for money. More generally, caerse con means to give or grant. A striking way to ask for a compulsory donation is to say: caete cadáver.
3) Ya le caigo. I’m leaving.
4) Te cae? Really? // Are you serious?
5) Me cae. You bet! // I swear.
6) Me cae de madre. You fucking bet! // I swear it over my mother’s grave.
7) Se cae de buena. She’s super hot.
8) Caele a la chingada. Get lost you bastard! Caer a simply means to go somewhere. The term a la chingada refers to the most remote of places and is often replaced (in increasing tone of discontent) by al agave, a la gaver or a la verga.
9) Me cayó el veinte. I just realized something.
In cases 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, it is customary (but grammatically incorrect) to replace the letter e for i (so me cae is pronounced me cai).
Lupita: Me cai que le caíste bien a mi jefe, pero ya es tarde así que caile.
(I assure you my dad thought you were a nice guy. But it’s late now, so you should go home).
Rigoberto: Chale, te cai? (Are you serious?)
Lupita: Me cai pinche Rigo! (Fuckin’ A!)
Posts
Another important use of "caer" is when the conjugation is accompanied by the impersonal article "le", which basically means to arrive.
ReplyDeleteJunior: Pablucas, te importa si le caigo a tu depa?
Pablucas: Pus caile!
Junior: Pablucas, do you mind if I crash at your place?
Pablucas: Sure thing!