Caber

[DailyWord]

This is a discussion thread for the Daily Spanish Word for December 17, 2009

caber (verb) — to fit. Look up caber in the dictionary

Ven, siéntate, los dos cabemos en el sillón.
Come, sit down, the couch is big enough for both of us.

Quería poner otra planta en la jardinera, pero hay tantas, que ya no cabe una más.
I wanted to put another plant in the flower box, but there were so many, that there wasn't room for another one.

No podíamos matar a la rata, porque cabía por un agujero en la pared y se escapaba.
We couldn't kill the rat because it was small enough to escape through a hole in the wall.

Las mentiras no caben entre dos personas que se quieren.
There is no room for lies between two people who love each other.

Cabe decir que atravesamos por un momento muy difícil y no aumentaremos los salarios.
It's fitting to say that we're going through a very difficult time and we won't be able to increase your salaries.

¿Cómo que tiraste el teléfono a la basura? ¿En qué cabeza cabe?
What do you mean you threw the telephone in the trash? What on earth were you thinking?

[chileno]

I thought it meant to fit?

[María José]

It does. Just a bunch of other things as well.
It's typical for little children to say: No cabo instead of the correct irregular version No quepo.

[bobjenkins]

El barco es muy largo, por eso el capitán ha de encontrar un puerto que es suficiente para anclarlo / aparcarlo. Él piensa que el barco cabrá ahí en ese puerto en ese cabo

[chileno]

Escrito originalmente por María José

It does. Just a bunch of other things as well.
It's typical for little children to say: No cabo instead of the correct irregular version No quepo.

El soldado raso al cabo.

- No cabo mi cabo!

- No sea imbecil soldado, se dice quepo.

- Aaaah, entonces no quepo mi quepo!!!

[CrOtALiTo]

In this town doesn't fit any people more, the space in the town is very short.

[irmamar]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

El soldado raso al cabo.

- No cabo mi cabo!

- No sea imbecil soldado, se dice quepo.

- Aaaah, entonces no quepo mi quepo!!!

I knew it!

[María José]

Escrito originalmente por chileno

el soldado raso al cabo.

- no cabo mi cabo!

- no sea imbecil soldado, se dice quepo.

- aaaah, entonces no quepo mi quepo!!! :d

First time I hear it:

[laepelba]

Okay, again, I'm resurrecting an old thread. Hope that's okay with everyone.

In another place, I found another definition for "caber": "to be possible". I don't really see that meaning in RAE.

The sample sentence was given as follows:
Cabe la posibilidad de que no pueda venir. - It's possible that she won't be able to come.

But the word "posibilidad" seems to be imperative for "caber" to mean "to be possible" here. Is this really a good definition? Or is there some other implication here?

[Perikles]

Escrito originalmente por laepelba

The sample sentence was given as follows:
Cabe la posibilidad de que no pueda venir. - It's possible that she won't be able to come.

But the word "posibilidad" seems to be imperative for "caber" to mean "to be possible" here. Is this really a good definition? Or is there some other implication here?

I think it is quite simple, in that the idiom cabe la posibilidad meaning the possibility exists, or fits in is used for there is the possibility that...

cabe la posibilidad de que haya perdido el tren
he may have missed the train.

I don't think there is anything else to read into it.