Mi amigo se cayó por las escaleras.

My friend fell down the stairs.

Breakdown of Mi amigo se cayó por las escaleras.

• el amigo: the friend
• mi: my
• la escalera: the staircase
• caerse: to fall
• por: down

Questions & Answers about Mi amigo se cayó por las escaleras.

Why is there a se in se cayó?

Spanish often uses a pronominal form to talk about involuntary or accidental events involving people. Caerse is the common way to say “to fall (down)” when the subject is a person. So Mi amigo se cayó sounds natural and neutral, implying an unintentional fall. Using plain cayó with a person is possible but sounds unusual or more formal/literary.

Can I drop se and say Mi amigo cayó por las escaleras?

You can, but for everyday speech in Spain it sounds off or overly dramatic (it can evoke “he fell in battle” or “collapsed”). With people, Spaniards strongly prefer se cayó. Save cayó (without se) for set phrases like cayó enfermo (“he fell ill”) or for objects in some contexts.

Why use por in por las escaleras? Could I use en, de, or desde instead?

• por las escaleras = “down/along the stairs” (path or route). This is the idiomatic choice here.
• en las escaleras = “on the stairs” (location). It means the fall happened while on the stairs, but doesn’t necessarily imply tumbling down them.
• de la(s) escalera(s) = “off the stairs.” With stairs it’s not the usual way to say “down the stairs,” but with a ladder it’s normal: se cayó de la escalera.
• desde la(s) escaleras focuses on the starting point (“from the stairs”), not on the path down; it’s uncommon in this meaning.

Why is it plural las escaleras? Can I say la escalera?

In Spain, people often say las escaleras to refer to a staircase as a whole. la escalera can also mean “staircase,” but it also means “ladder,” so las escaleras avoids ambiguity and sounds very natural. You will hear both por la escalera and por las escaleras for staircases; the plural is just extremely common.

Could I say “down the stairs” with abajo, like se cayó abajo?

Not in Spain. se cayó abajo is considered redundant or incorrect. A good alternative is the fixed expression se cayó escaleras abajo (“down the stairs”), which is idiomatic and a bit more vivid.

What if it was a ladder, not stairs?

Use escalera (singular) and the preposition de: Mi amigo se cayó de la escalera (“My friend fell off the ladder”). With ladders we don’t say por.

Why is it cayó (preterite) and not caía (imperfect)?

cayó is the preterite, used for a single, completed event. se caía (imperfect) would describe an ongoing/unfinished action or a repeated/habitual one (e.g., “he used to fall” or “he was in the middle of falling”).

How would Spaniards say it if it just happened a moment ago?

Spain often uses the present perfect for very recent past: Mi amigo se ha caído por las escaleras. In many parts of Latin America, people would prefer the simple past: se cayó.

How do you pronounce cayó, and what’s the accent for?

Stress is on the last syllable: ca-YÓ. The accent mark shows that stress. Note that cayó (“fell”) and calló (“fell silent”) are pronounced the same by most speakers in Spain (yeísmo); context and spelling distinguish them.

What’s the full preterite conjugation of caer?

• yo: caí
• tú: caíste
• él/ella/usted: cayó
• nosotros/as: caímos
• vosotros/as: caísteis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes: cayeron
  Note the spelling change to y in the 3rd person forms and the accent on the i elsewhere.

What’s the difference between caer and caerse with things and people?

• With people, caerse is the normal way: Mi amigo se cayó.
• With objects, both occur, with a nuance:
  
  • El vaso se cayó (de la mesa) suggests an unintentional/accidental fall, often without specifying who caused it.
  • El vaso cayó is more neutral/formal or used in technical/literary style.

Can I change the word order to Se cayó mi amigo por las escaleras?

Yes, Spanish allows that word order. Se cayó mi amigo por las escaleras is grammatical and can place slight emphasis on the falling event, but the neutral, most common order here is Mi amigo se cayó por las escaleras.

How do I adjust for gender and number?

• Female friend: Mi amiga se cayó por las escaleras.
• Several friends: Mis amigos se cayeron por las escaleras.
• All female group: Mis amigas se cayeron por las escaleras.

How do I say “He slipped/tripped and fell down the stairs” or “He rolled down the stairs”?

• “He slipped and fell down the stairs”: Se resbaló y se cayó por las escaleras.
• “He tripped and fell down the stairs”: Tropezó y se cayó por las escaleras.
• “He rolled down the stairs”: Rodó por las escaleras.

If I want to say the fall happened while going up the stairs, how can I express that?

Use a clause for the action in progress: Se cayó subiendo las escaleras (“He fell while going up the stairs”). Similarly, Se cayó bajando las escaleras works for “while going down.”