no me caes bien
/no me kaes bjen/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I don't like you" is expressed as no me caes bien.
This phrase is used to convey that you do not find someone pleasant or do not get along with them.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, no me caes bien means "you do not fall well to me".
Which one should you use?
Use no me caes bien to express that you dislike someone's personality or that you don't get along with them, rather than expressing a lack of romantic or physical attraction. In contrast, no me gustas is used to say you are not romantically attracted to someone.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, people often use no me caes gordo to say "I don't like you". In Argentina, people commonly say no me banco to convey a similar meaning to no me agrada.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I don't like them" or "I don't like you (plural)", change the verb to the third-person plural form caen.
Did you know?
- While no me caes bien is the standard way to say 'I don't like you', the Mexican variation caer gordo literally translates to 'to fall fat'.
- In Argentina, the phrase no me banco is used to say 'I can't stand you', which comes from the verb bancar, meaning 'to support' or 'to tolerate'.
- The word bien in this expression, which means 'well', is a linguistic relative of the English word 'bonus'.
Examples in context
- Lo siento, pero no me caes bien.I am sorry, but I do not like you.
- No me caes bien por tu actitud.I do not like you because of your attitude.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are arguing after a disagreement at work.
- Javier¿Por qué me miras así?Why are you looking at me like that?
- SofíaEs que no me caes bien, Javier.It is just that I do not like you, Javier.
- JavierNo entiendo cuál es el problema.I do not understand what the problem is.
- SofíaSimplemente no tenemos química.We simply do not have any chemistry.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, me, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
