Ah, autumn! The season of crisp air, colorful leaves, and cozy sweaters. In English, we often use "fall" and "autumn" interchangeably, but how do the French talk about this beautiful season?

As you learn French, you'll discover there isn't just one word for it. Depending on the context—whether you're talking about the season itself or the action of falling—the vocabulary changes.

Let's dive into nine ways to say "fall" in French so you're ready for your next conversation about l'automne!

1. The standard 'to fall' – tomber

The most common and direct translation for the verb 'to fall' in French is tomber. It's your go-to verb for almost any situation involving falling.

Tomber primarily refers to the physical act of falling due to gravity. This applies to people, objects, or even natural phenomena like rain or snow.

Good news for learners: tomber is a regular -er verb. This means it follows the standard conjugation pattern, making it predictable. For example, in the present tense: je tombe, tu tombes, il/elle tombe, nous tombons, vous tombez, ils/elles tombent.

One of the most important figurative uses is in the expression tomber amoureux/amoureuse (de), which means 'to fall in love (with)'. Remember that the adjective amoureux must agree in gender with the subject. For instance, 'Il est tombé amoureux' (He fell in love) vs. 'Elle est tombée amoureuse' (She fell in love).

Another common phrase is tomber malade, which means 'to fall ill' or 'to get sick'. It's a very natural way to express becoming unwell in French.

You will hear the idiom laisser tomber constantly in conversation. While it literally means 'to let fall', it's used to say 'to drop it', 'let it go', or 'never mind'. It’s an essential phrase for sounding like a native speaker.

The meaning of tomber can shift when paired with prepositions. A key example is tomber sur, which means 'to stumble upon' or 'to run into' someone or something by chance, not literally to fall on top of them.

💡 * Fais attention, la route est glissante et tu pourrais tomber.

• La neige tombe doucement sur la ville.
• Elle est tombée amoureuse de lui au premier regard.
• Laisse tomber, on en parlera plus tard.
• En rangeant la bibliothèque, je suis tombé sur une vieille photo.

The 'fall' (often in sports or from a height) – chuter

When you need a verb for a more dramatic or significant fall, especially from a height or in a sporting context, chuter is the perfect choice. It describes a more impactful action than a simple trip.

Chuter translates to 'to fall' or 'to fall down.' It implies a sudden, complete loss of balance, often resulting in a significant drop or a heavy impact. Think of it as 'to take a tumble' or 'to plummet'.

This verb is very common in the world of sports. A cyclist can chuter during a race, a skier can chuter on a difficult slope, or a rider can chuter from their horse. It emphasizes the action and drama of the fall.

Beyond sports, chuter is the appropriate verb for falling from a height. For instance, you could say a piece of equipment a chuté from a roof or, more seriously, a person a chuté from a ladder.

Like its English counterpart, chuter also has a figurative sense. Stock prices can chuter (plummet), a politician's popularity can chuter (drop), or the temperature can chuter (fall sharply).

While tomber is the general verb for 'to fall,' chuter often carries a stronger connotation of speed, verticality, or a significant event. Use chuter when you want to add a sense of force or consequence to the fall.

💡 * Le cycliste a chuté dans le dernier virage. (The cyclist fell on the last turn.)

• Fais attention de ne pas chuter de l'échelle ! (Be careful not to fall from the ladder!)
• Les prix de l'immobilier ont chuté ce trimestre. (Real estate prices have fallen this quarter.)
• Le skieur a chuté mais il n'est pas blessé. (The skier fell but he is not injured.)

To 'slip and fall' – glisser

The primary French verb for 'to slip' or 'to slide' is glisser. It's an essential verb for describing both accidental movements, like falling on ice, and intentional actions, like gliding or sliding.

Most frequently, glisser is used to describe an unintentional slip, often leading to a fall. The context usually involves a slippery surface. For instance, faire attention de ne pas glisser means 'to be careful not to slip'.

Beyond accidents, glisser also means 'to slide' or 'to glide' on purpose. This is the verb you would use for a child going down a slide (glisser sur un toboggan) or a skier gliding over snow.

Good news for learners: glisser is a regular -er verb. This means it follows the most common conjugation pattern in French, making it straightforward to use in various tenses like the present (je glisse) or the passé composé (j'ai glissé).

Figuratively, glisser can mean 'to slip' an object somewhere discreetly, such as glisser une lettre dans une poche (to slip a letter into a pocket). It can also refer to a topic 'drifting' or 'shifting' during a conversation.

💡 * Attention, le sol est mouillé, tu pourrais glisser. (Be careful, the floor is wet, you could slip.)

• J'ai glissé sur une plaque de verglas en allant au travail. (I slipped on a patch of ice on my way to work.)
• Les enfants aiment glisser sur le toboggan. (The children like to slide on the slide.)
• Il a glissé la clé sous le paillasson. (He slipped the key under the doormat.)

To 'trip and fall' – trébucher

The verb trébucher is the direct French translation for 'to trip' or 'to stumble.' It specifically describes the physical act of losing one's balance, often by catching a foot on an obstacle.

Good news for learners: trébucher is a regular -er verb. This means it follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs in this group, just like parler (to speak). For example, in the present tense: je trébuche, tu trébuches, il/elle/on trébuche.

You'll almost always see trébucher used with the preposition sur ('on' or 'over') to indicate what caused the trip. For example, trébucher sur une racine (to trip on a root) or trébucher sur un trottoir (to stumble on a sidewalk).

💡 * J'ai trébuché sur une pierre et je suis tombé. (I tripped on a stone and fell.)

• Fais attention de ne pas trébucher sur le tapis. (Be careful not to trip on the rug.)
• L'enfant a trébuché en courant dans le parc. (The child stumbled while running in the park.)
• Il trébuche souvent parce qu'il ne regarde pas où il va. (He often trips because he doesn't watch where he is going.)

To 'collapse' or 'fall down' – s'effondrer

S'effondrer is a reflexive verb in French that translates to 'to collapse,' 'to fall down,' or 'to crumble.' It's a powerful and versatile verb used in both literal and figurative contexts to describe a sudden and complete failure or breakdown.

In its most literal sense, s'effondrer describes the physical collapse of structures or objects. You would use it for a building falling down, a bridge giving way, or a person collapsing from exhaustion. Because it's a reflexive verb, the subject acts upon itself (the building collapses on its own).

Figuratively, s'effondrer is very commonly used to describe a person's emotional or mental breakdown. Someone can 'collapse' in tears (s'effondrer en larmes), with grief, or under pressure. It can also refer to the collapse of abstract concepts like an empire, a system, or financial markets.

As a reflexive verb, s'effondrer is always conjugated with the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses like the passé composé. Remember that the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example: La maison s'est effondrée (the house collapsed) or Ils se sont effondrés (they collapsed).

💡 * Le vieux pont s'est effondré pendant la tempête. (The old bridge collapsed during the storm.)

• Quand elle a appris la nouvelle, elle s'est effondrée en larmes. (When she heard the news, she collapsed in tears.)
• Le marché boursier risque de s'effondrer. (The stock market is at risk of collapsing.)
• Le coureur s'est effondré juste avant la ligne d'arrivée. (The runner collapsed just before the finish line.)

To 'tumble down' – dégringoler

The French verb dégringoler perfectly captures the idea of 'to tumble down,' 'to plummet,' or 'to fall rapidly.' Unlike the simple verb tomber (to fall), dégringoler implies a more chaotic, uncontrolled, and often swift descent, like rolling or bouncing down an incline.

In its most direct sense, dégringoler describes a physical fall. It's the ideal verb for when someone tumbles down the stairs (il a dégringolé les escaliers), a rock tumbles down a mountain, or a pile of books topples over. The word itself evokes a sense of clattering and disorder.

Dégringoler is also extremely common in a figurative sense, especially in contexts like finance, politics, and sports. It's used to describe a sharp and dramatic drop. For example, stock prices can dégringoler, a political candidate's ranking can dégringoler in the polls, or a team can dégringoler in the league standings.

Grammatically, dégringoler is a regular -er verb, making it easy to conjugate. In the passé composé, it most often uses the auxiliary verb avoir to describe the action (Le vase a dégringolé de l'étagère). However, it can also use être to describe the resulting state, similar to other verbs of motion (Il est dégringolé du toit).

💡 * Attention, tu vas faire dégringoler toute la pile de livres ! (Careful, you're going to make the whole pile of books tumble down!)

• Les prix du pétrole ont dégringolé cette semaine. (Oil prices have plummeted this week.)
• L'alpiniste a glissé et a dégringolé de plusieurs mètres. (The climber slipped and tumbled several meters.)
• Après sa défaite, son équipe a dégringolé au classement. (After their defeat, his team tumbled down in the rankings.)

The 'fall' or 'drop' (for prices or temperature) – baisser

The verb baisser is a versatile French verb that translates to 'to lower,' 'to drop,' or 'to decrease.' It's commonly used to talk about a reduction in value, level, or intensity, making it the perfect word for discussing falling prices or dropping temperatures.

When you see prices going down or the thermometer showing a lower number, baisser is the verb to use. It can function on its own, like Le prix a baissé (The price has dropped), or with an object, such as Ils ont baissé le chauffage (They lowered the heating).

As a regular -er verb, baisser follows a predictable conjugation pattern, making it relatively easy to learn. For example, in the present tense: je baisse, tu baisses, il/elle baisse, nous baissons, vous baissez, ils/elles baissent.

💡 * Les prix de l'immobilier ont commencé à baisser. (Real estate prices have started to drop.)

• La température va baisser ce soir. (The temperature is going to drop tonight.)
• Pouvez-vous baisser la musique, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you lower the music, please?)
• Le magasin a baissé ses prix pour les soldes. (The store lowered its prices for the sales.)

To 'fall in love' – tomber amoureux/amoureuse

The most common and direct way to say 'to fall in love' in French is the expression tomber amoureux (for a male speaker/subject) or tomber amoureuse (for a female speaker/subject).

This phrase literally translates to 'to fall in love.' It's constructed with the verb tomber ('to fall') and the adjective amoureux/amoureuse ('in love'). It is essential to make the adjective agree in gender with the person who is falling in love.

To specify who you are falling in love with, you must use the preposition de. The complete structure is tomber amoureux/amoureuse de quelqu'un (to fall in love with someone).

When using this phrase in the past tense (passé composé), the verb tomber conjugates with the auxiliary verb être. For example, Il est tombé amoureux (He fell in love) and Elle est tombée amoureuse (She fell in love).

💡 * Je suis tombé amoureux d'elle au premier regard. (I fell in love with her at first sight.)

• Elle est tombée amoureuse de son meilleur ami. (She fell in love with her best friend.)
• Ils vont tomber amoureux pendant leurs vacances à Paris. (They are going to fall in love during their vacation in Paris.)
• On ne choisit pas de qui on tombe amoureux. (You don't choose who you fall in love with.)

1. The Verb for 'To Fall Asleep': S'endormir

The primary French verb for “to fall asleep” is s'endormir. This is a reflexive verb, which means the action reflects back onto the subject. You are literally 'putting yourself to sleep.' The s' is a reflexive pronoun that changes with the subject (e.g., je m'endors, tu t'endors).

S'endormir is an irregular verb. In the present tense (le présent), it is conjugated as follows:

• je m'endors (I fall asleep / I am falling asleep)
• tu t'endors
• il/elle/on s'endort
• nous nous endormons
• vous vous endormez
• ils/elles s'endorment

To say “I fell asleep,” you use the passé composé. As a reflexive verb, s'endormir always uses être as its auxiliary verb. The past participle is endormi, and it must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example: elle s'est endormi becomes elle s'est endormi**e**.

It's crucial to distinguish between s'endormir and dormir.

• S'endormir is the action of falling asleep; the transition from awake to asleep.
• Dormir is the state of being asleep. Think of it this way: Je m'endors à 22h (I fall asleep at 10 PM), but Je dors pendant 8 heures (I sleep for 8 hours).

💡 * Le bébé s'endort toujours après son biberon. (The baby always falls asleep after his bottle.)

• Hier soir, je me suis endormi devant la télé. (Last night, I fell asleep in front of the TV.)
• Ne fais pas de bruit, les enfants s'endorment. (Don't make any noise, the children are falling asleep.)
• Elle s'est endormie dès qu'elle a touché l'oreiller. (She fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow.)

Are there other ways to say 'fall' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'fall' in French?

Our list has covered the most essential ways to say 'fall' in French, focusing on the primary verb tomber. But French, like any language, is full of nuances, idiomatic expressions, and specific verbs for different kinds of falling.

To expand your vocabulary, try searching for specific contexts, like “comment dire 'fall asleep' en français” or looking up verbs related to specific objects, like leaves or prices.

Pay close attention to prepositions and reflexive forms. Whether something falls sur (on) or dans (in) something else can completely change the meaning. Always check a dictionary to see how a verb is used in a sentence.

The best way to learn is by immersion. As you listen to French songs or watch French-language shows, listen for these verbs in action. You'll soon get a natural feel for which 'fall' to use and when.

If you want to dive deeper into idiomatic expressions or see more example sentences, the WordReference page for tomber is a fantastic place to start your exploration.

I hope this guide helps you feel more confident. To end, here’s a wonderful French proverb that applies to both language learning and life: L'important n'est pas de ne jamais tomber, mais de se relever à chaque chute. (The important thing is not to never fall, but to get up after every fall.)