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Conjugation Chart

“Recaer” (to relapse) in the Subjunctive Mood

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Understanding the Subjunctive Mood of “Recaer”

The Present Subjunctive of recaer is used when expressing wishes, emotions, doubts or uncertainties about relapsing or falling back into a previous condition or situation. For example, Espero que no recaigas en tus viejos hábitos. (I hope you don’t relapse into your old habits.)

Recaer is an irregular verb, which means its conjugations do not follow the typical patterns of regular verbs. You’ll need to memorize its unique set of conjugations in each tense.

How to Use Recaer in the Subjunctive Mood

Recaer generally means to relapse or fall back into something, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To relapse or fall back into an illness or bad habit: for example, Es importante que no recaiga en su adicción. (It’s important that he doesn’t relapse into his addiction.)

To return to a previous state or condition: for example, Temo que recaiga en la depresión si pierde su trabajo. (I fear that he may fall back into depression if he loses his job.)

To fall back or revert to a previous topic or subject: for example, Cada vez que recaigamos en ese tema, discutimos. (Whenever we fall back on that topic, we argue.)

To happen or occur again: for example, Espero que no recaiga la tormenta esta noche. (I hope the storm doesn’t happen again tonight.)

To place or put something back on someone: for example, No quiero que recaiga toda la responsabilidad sobre mí. (I don’t want all the responsibility to fall back on me.)

Real Life Examples of Recaer in the Subjunctive Mood

Espero que no recaigas en tus viejos hábitos después de tanto esfuerzo. (I hope you don’t relapse into your old habits after so much effort.)

Es importante que el paciente recaiga en una rutina saludable para prevenir una recaída. (It’s important that the patient relapses into a healthy routine to prevent a relapse.)

Ojalá que el equipo no recaiga en su mala racha y pueda ganar el próximo partido. (Hopefully the team doesn’t relapse into their losing streak and can win the next game.)

Aunque sea difícil, es crucial que no recaigamos en los mismos errores del pasado. (Although it’s difficult, it’s crucial that we don’t relapse into the same mistakes of the past.)

El terapeuta recomienda que el paciente no recaiga en sus viejos patrones de comportamiento autodestructivos. (The therapist recommends that the patient doesn’t relapse into their old patterns of self-destructive behavior.)

Para tener éxito en la rehabilitación, es necesario que los adictos no recaigan en el consumo de drogas. (For rehabilitation to be successful, it’s necessary that addicts don’t relapse into drug use.)

Temo que si no somos cuidadosos, recaigamos en los mismos errores que cometimos la última vez. (I fear that if we’re not careful, we’ll relapse into the same mistakes we made last time.)

Es importante que los ex fumadores no recaigan en el hábito de fumar, por su salud. (It’s important that former smokers don’t relapse into the smoking habit, for their health.)

Ojalá que la economía no recaiga en una recesión después de los esfuerzos por recuperarse. (Hopefully the economy doesn’t relapse into a recession after efforts to recover.)

Para prevenir una recaída, el médico recomienda que el paciente no recaiga en sus viejos hábitos alimenticios poco saludables. (To prevent a relapse, the doctor recommends that the patient doesn’t relapse into their old unhealthy eating habits.)

Es crucial que los políticos no recaigan en prácticas corruptas que dañan la confianza pública. (It’s crucial that politicians don’t relapse into corrupt practices that damage public trust.)

Aunque sea tentador, espero que no recaigáis en la vieja costumbre de procrastinar con sus tareas escolares. (Although it’s tempting, I hope you don’t relapse into the old habit of procrastinating on your schoolwork.)

Para mantener una buena salud mental, el psicólogo recomienda que sus pacientes no recaigan en patrones de pensamiento negativos. (To maintain good mental health, the psychologist recommends that their patients don’t relapse into negative thought patterns.)

Es importante que los atletas no recaigan en el uso de sustancias prohibidas que puedan dañar su rendimiento y su salud. (It’s important that athletes don’t relapse into the use of prohibited substances that could harm their performance and health.)

Ojalá que la nación no recaiga en conflictos violentos después de los esfuerzos por lograr la paz. (Hopefully the nation doesn’t relapse into violent conflicts after efforts to achieve peace.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Recaer (to relapse) in the Subjunctive Mood (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.