me cae bien
/me kae bjen/from spelling rules
To say "I like him" in Spanish, you say me cae bien.
This phrase is used to express that you find someone pleasant or easy to get along with. In a casual context, you may also see the form Me cae bien él to mean "I like him."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase me cae bien literally translates to "he falls well on me", where the idiom caer bien means "to be pleasant".
Which one should you use?
Use me cae bien to express platonic liking, but use me gusta if you mean you are romantically attracted to him.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I like them" (plural), change the verb to the plural form me caen bien.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, you might hear me cae gordo to mean you dislike someone, even though 'gordo' means 'fat'.
- If you say me cae mal about someone, you are not saying they are 'bad' as a person, but that their personality clashes with yours.
- The word bien can be traced back to the Latin 'bene', which is the direct ancestor of the English word 'benefit'.
Examples in context
- Me cae bien.I like him.This example shows how to use the phrase me cae bien.Tatoeba #2686830 by cueyayotl, translation #283629 by CK
- Me gusta Miguel. Siempre me hace reír.I like Miguel. He always makes me laugh.
- No sé mucho sobre él, pero me gusta.I don't know much about him, but I like him.
- Me agrada él. Siempre muestra respeto hacia los demás.I like him. He always shows respect towards others.
- Me gusta Carlos, pero me agrada Juan.I like Carlos, but I appreciate Juan.
- Me cae bien él. Es simpático y amigable.I like him. He is friendly and nice.
- Aunque sea un poco reservado, me cae bien.Even though he is a bit reserved, I like him.
- Tu nuevo compañero me cae bien.I like your new colleague.
- Ese chico me cae bien.I like that guy.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are talking about a new coworker during lunch.
- Alejandro¿Qué piensas de Pablo?What do you think of Pablo?
- LucíaMe cae bien, es muy amable.I like him, he is very kind.
- AlejandroA mí también me cae bien.I like him too.
- LucíaEs un buen hombre.He is a good man.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
