The Conditional Mood of caer is used to express what would happen under certain circumstances, for example: Si no hubiera tráfico, caería en la tentación de llegar tarde. (If there were no traffic, I would fall into the temptation of being late.)

Caer is a regular verb in Spanish, which means its conjugations in the Conditional follow the same pattern as other verbs with infinitives ending in -er.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Esperar (to wait/hope) in the Conditional Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The conditional mood of caer is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or possibilities in the future.

To fall or drop: For example, Si no tuvieras cuidado, caerías por las escaleras. (If you weren’t careful, you would fall down the stairs.) This meaning can also extend to idiomatic expressions like caer en la trampa (to fall into the trap).

To be located or situated: For example, La fiesta caería bien después de una semana estresante. (The party would be nice after a stressful week.) Colloquially, it can mean caer mal (to rub someone the wrong way).

To occur or happen: For example, Si ganara la lotería, me caería de espaldas. (If I won the lottery, I would fall over backwards.) It’s also used in sayings like caer en la cuenta (to realize something).

To decline or decrease: For example, Las ventas caerían si subiéramos los precios. (Sales would fall if we raised the prices.) In some contexts, it can mean to fail or caer en desgracia (to fall from grace).

To arrive or come: For example, Si no hubiera tráfico, caeríamos temprano a la reunión. (If there was no traffic, we would arrive early to the meeting.) Informally, it can mean caer de sorpresa (to show up unexpectedly).

Examples

Examples of Esperar in the Conditional Mood

Si caería una tormenta, me quedaría en casa. (If it would rain, I would stay home.)

El equipo caería en la trampa si no estuvieran atentos. (The team would fall into the trap if they weren’t careful.)

Temo que caeríamos en la rutina si no hiciéramos planes nuevos. (I’m afraid we would fall into a rut if we didn’t make new plans.)

Aunque caerías en la tentación, sé que harías lo correcto. (Even though you would be tempted, I know you would do the right thing.)

Sin un buen plan, el proyecto caería en el olvido. (Without a good plan, the project would be forgotten.)

Me preocupa que caeríamos en la misma trampa otra vez. (I’m worried we would fall into the same trap again.)

Aunque caería rendido después del maratón, valdría la pena. (Even though I would be exhausted after the marathon, it would be worth it.)

Si caerías en la desesperación, recuerda que hay salida. (If you would fall into despair, remember there is a way out.)

Dicen que si caería la noche, los coyotes comenzarían a aullar. (They say if night would fall, the coyotes would start howling.)

Aunque caerían algunas críticas, la obra sería un éxito rotundo. (Even though there would be some criticism, the play would be a huge success.)

Me temo que si caería en las garras del enemigo, no sobreviviría. (I’m afraid if I would fall into the enemy’s clutches, I wouldn’t survive.)

Dicen que si caerías en la trampa del engaño, perderías todo. (They say if you would fall into the trap of deception, you would lose everything.)

Aunque caeríamos en la desesperación, la esperanza siempre prevalecería. (Even though we would fall into despair, hope would always prevail.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Esperar (to wait/hope) in the Conditional Mood tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Conditional mood is also known as the Simple Conditional, Conditional Simple, Would Tense, or Future of the Past in English, and as Condicional Simple, Pospretérito, Potencial Simple, or Condicional de Indicativo in Spanish.