cayendo

Cayendo is the present participle (gerund) of the Spanish verb caer, meaning “falling” or “tumbling.” It is used to describe an ongoing action or to form progressive tenses with auxiliary verbs such as estar (está cayendo, está cayendo). The gerund also appears in non-finite clauses to indicate accompanying action, for example: Las hojas iban cayendo de los árboles (The leaves were falling from the trees).

Etymology and morphology: Cayendo is irregular. The verb caer comes from Latin cadere, and its gerund in Spanish uses a y to preserve pronunciation, yielding cayendo rather than caiendo. This contrasts with regular -er verbs that typically form -iendo without a y.

Usage notes: Like other Spanish gerunds, cayendo should normally be used with estar or another auxiliary to express progressive aspect, not as a noun. It can describe physical descent (El techo está cayendo—The ceiling is falling) or figurative declines (Los precios están cayendo—The prices are falling). It can also appear in participial phrases to modify nouns (un objeto cayendo de la estantería—the object falling from the shelf).

Translations and nuance: Cayendo translates as “falling” or “coming down,” depending on context. It conveys ongoing action and can describe both concrete events (a wall or tree falling) and abstract declines (values decreasing, fortunes waning) when used with appropriate verbs.

Related forms: caer (to fall); caída (fall, drop); caído (fallen). The gerund cayendo is one of several irregular gerund forms in Spanish and is specific to caer and related constructions.