The verb tomber is the most common way to say 'to fall' in French, and it's probably the first one you learned. But what if you want to say something 'tumbled down,' 'collapsed,' or even that you 'fell for someone'? French, like English, has a variety of colorful and specific verbs to express this idea. Whether you're talking about a clumsy stumble, a dramatic collapse, or falling in love, there's a perfect word for it. Let's dive into nine different ways to talk about falling in French!

The standard 'to fall' (physically) – tomber

The standard verb for 'to fall' (physically) in French is tomber.

Tomber is the direct equivalent of the English verb 'to fall'. It is the go-to word for describing any physical, downward movement caused by a loss of balance or gravity. It applies to people, objects, and even natural phenomena like rain or snow.

While tomber is a regular -er verb, its most important grammatical feature is that it uses être as its auxiliary verb in the passé composé (and other compound tenses). This means the past participle, tombé, must agree in gender and number with the subject.

• Il est tombé. (He fell.)
• Elle est tombée. (She fell.)
• Ils sont tombés. (They fell - masculine/mixed group.)
• Elles sont tombées. (They fell - feminine group.)

Just like in English, tomber has several common figurative meanings that extend beyond the physical act of falling. Context is your best friend for telling them apart.

Understanding these common expressions will greatly improve your fluency:

• Tomber amoureux/amoureuse (de): This is the standard way to say 'to fall in love (with)'.
• Tomber malade: This means 'to fall ill' or 'to get sick'.
• Laisser tomber: Literally 'to let fall', this phrase is widely used to mean 'to drop it', 'to give up', or 'never mind'.
• Tomber sur quelqu'un/quelque chose: This means 'to stumble upon' or 'to run into' someone or something by chance.

If you see tomber on its own, assume it means the physical act of falling. If it's part of a phrase like tomber amoureux or tomber malade, it's taking on a specific, idiomatic meaning.

💡 * Attention, tu vas tomber de l'échelle ! (Be careful, you're going to fall off the ladder!)

• Ma grand-mère est tombée dans les escaliers hier. (My grandmother fell down the stairs yesterday.)
• La pluie a commencé à tomber. (The rain started to fall.)
• Il est tombé amoureux de sa meilleure amie. (He fell in love with his best friend.)
• Laisse tomber, on en parlera plus tard. (Drop it, we'll talk about it later.)

To 'fall' in love – tomber amoureux/amoureuse

The direct French equivalent for the English phrase 'to fall in love' is tomber amoureux (for a male) or tomber amoureuse (for a female).

Literally, this phrase translates to 'to fall loving' or 'to fall in-love'. The verb tomber means 'to fall,' and amoureux/amoureuse is an adjective meaning 'in love' or 'loving'.

To specify who you are falling in love with, you use the preposition de. For example, Il est tombé amoureux de sa voisine means 'He fell in love with his neighbor'. Notice the use of de and not avec ('with').

In compound tenses like the passé composé, tomber conjugates with the auxiliary verb être, not avoir. This means the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example: Elle est tombée amoureuse (She fell in love) and Ils sont tombés amoureux (They fell in love).

It's crucial to differentiate between tomber amoureux (the action of falling in love) and être amoureux (the state of being in love). Tomber marks the beginning of the feeling, while être describes the ongoing state. For instance, Je suis tombé amoureux ('I fell in love') describes the event, whereas Je suis amoureux ('I am in love') describes the current condition.

💡 * Je suis tombé amoureux d'elle au premier regard.

• Elle a peur de tomber amoureuse à nouveau.
• Ils sont tombés amoureux pendant leurs vacances à Paris.
• On ne choisit pas de qui on tombe amoureux.

To 'fall' asleep – s'endormir

The most direct and common way to say 'to fall asleep' in French is with the reflexive verb s'endormir. It specifically captures the moment of transition from being awake to being asleep.

Because s'endormir is a reflexive verb, the action is being done to oneself. Think of it literally as 'to put oneself to sleep.' This means it must always be used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that matches the subject.

In the present tense, the conjugation follows a pattern similar to other -ir verbs, but with the added reflexive pronoun:

• je m'endors (I fall asleep)
• tu t'endors (you fall asleep)
• il/elle s'endort (he/she falls asleep)
• nous nous endormons (we fall asleep)
• vous vous endormez (you fall asleep)
• ils/elles s'endorment (they fall asleep)

A key rule for reflexive verbs is that they use être as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé. Consequently, the past participle endormi must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, Il s'est endormi (He fell asleep) vs. Elle s'est endormie (She fell asleep).

Do not confuse s'endormir with dormir ('to sleep'). S'endormir is the action of entering sleep, while dormir is the state of being asleep. You can say Je m'endors à 23h (I fall asleep at 11 p.m.) and Je dors pendant huit heures (I sleep for eight hours).

💡 * Je suis fatigué, je m'endors sur le canapé.

• Le bébé s'est finalement endormi après son biberon.
• À quelle heure vous êtes-vous endormis hier soir ?
• Si le film est ennuyeux, nous nous endormons toujours.

1. To 'fall' sick or ill – tomber malade

The common French phrase for getting sick is tomber malade. Literally, tomber means 'to fall,' so the expression translates directly to 'to fall sick.' This is the standard way to express becoming ill in French.

A crucial grammatical point is that tomber malade conjugates with the auxiliary verb être (to be) in compound tenses like the passé composé. You would say je suis tombé(e) malade for 'I got sick'.

Because it uses être, the past participle tombé must agree in gender and number with the subject. For a female subject, it becomes tombée. For a masculine plural subject, it's tombés, and for a feminine plural subject, it's tombées.

This expression is widely used in all contexts, from informal conversations to formal settings. It can refer to any kind of illness, from a minor cold to a more serious condition.

💡 * Fais attention à ne pas tomber malade. (Be careful not to get sick.)

• Mon fils est tombé malade pendant la nuit. (My son got sick during the night.)
• Elle est tombée malade juste avant son examen. (She fell ill just before her exam.)
• Tous les élèves de la classe sont tombés malades en même temps. (All the students in the class got sick at the same time.)

To 'fall' or 'drop' (like prices or temperature) – chuter

When you want to describe a fall or a drop, especially for abstract things like prices or temperatures, the French verb chuter is the perfect choice.

Chuter translates to 'to fall,' 'to drop,' or 'to decrease.' It's most often used to describe a significant decline in value, quantity, or level, rather than a physical fall of a person or object.

You will frequently encounter chuter in financial contexts. It's the standard verb for when stock prices, sales figures, or market values go down. Think of it as the equivalent of 'to plummet' or 'to slump'.

Another very common application for chuter is in weather forecasts. When temperatures are expected to drop sharply, this is the verb you'll hear and use.

It's important not to confuse chuter with tomber. While both mean 'to fall,' tomber is generally used for physical actions, like a person falling down (il est tombé). Chuter, on the other hand, is for non-physical or metaphorical falls, like prices or popularity.

💡 * Les prix de l'immobilier ont chuté cette année. (Real estate prices have fallen this year.)

• Attention, la température va chuter à zéro degré cette nuit. (Be careful, the temperature is going to drop to zero degrees tonight.)
• Sa popularité a chuté après ses dernières déclarations. (His popularity dropped after his latest statements.)
• Le nombre de ventes a chuté de manière spectaculaire au dernier trimestre. (The number of sales dropped spectacularly last quarter.)

To 'fall' apart or collapse (like a building) – s'effondrer

The verb s'effondrer is the primary French equivalent for 'to collapse' or 'to fall down.' Its most common use is literal, describing the structural failure of buildings, bridges, ceilings, or other physical constructions. Think of a structure crumbling into pieces.

Just like in English, s'effondrer has a powerful figurative meaning. It can describe a person breaking down emotionally ('to fall apart'), a system failing ('the economy collapsed'), or even an argument losing all credibility. It implies a total and often sudden breakdown.

Notice the s' at the beginning? That means s'effondrer is a reflexive verb. This is important for grammar because in compound tenses like the passé composé, it must be conjugated with the auxiliary verb être, not avoir. For example, Le toit s'est effondré (The roof collapsed).

Don't confuse s'effondrer with tomber. Tomber means 'to fall' in a general sense, like a person tripping or a book falling off a table. S'effondrer implies a complete disintegration or structural collapse. A person tombe, but an empire s'effondre.

💡 * Le vieux pont risque de s'effondrer à tout moment.

• En apprenant la mauvaise nouvelle, il s'est effondré en larmes.
• L'économie du pays s'est effondrée après la crise.
• Les murs de la forteresse se sont effondrés sous les tirs de canon.

To 'fall' on a specific date – tomber (un jour)

The verb tomber literally translates to 'to fall' in English. However, just like in English, it has an idiomatic use to describe when a holiday, birthday, or any specific date occurs on a particular day of the week.

This expression is used very naturally in everyday French conversation. When you want to say that Christmas falls on a Monday, you can directly translate the idea using tomber. The structure is typically: [The Event/Date] + tomber + [Day of the week].

You will almost always use the third-person singular form, tombe, as you are usually talking about a single day or event (e.g., Noël, mon anniversaire). If you're referring to multiple dates, you would use the plural form, tombent.

💡 * Cette année, Noël tombe un mercredi. (This year, Christmas falls on a Wednesday.)

• Mon anniversaire tombe un week-end, donc je vais faire une grande fête. (My birthday falls on a weekend, so I'm going to have a big party.)
• Le 1er mai tombe quel jour cette année ? (What day does May 1st fall on this year?)
• Les jours fériés tombent souvent en milieu de semaine. (The public holidays often fall in the middle of the week.)

To 'fall' into a trap – tomber dans un piège

The expression tomber dans un piège is the direct French equivalent of the English phrase 'to fall into a trap.' It's a versatile idiom used in both literal and figurative contexts.

Figuratively, tomber dans un piège means to be deceived, tricked, or fooled. It perfectly describes the action of falling for a scam, a lie, or a misleading situation. This is its most common usage in everyday conversation.

This phrase can be used for anything from a simple prank to a serious deception. The 'trap' (piège) can be a trick question (une question piège), a misleading offer, or a complex scheme.

To describe the act of setting a trap for someone, you use the verb tendre. The full expression is tendre un piège à quelqu'un. For example, 'Il a essayé de me tendre un piège' (He tried to set a trap for me).

💡 * Fais attention à l'e-mail, c'est une tentative de phishing. Ne tombe pas dans le piège ! (Be careful with the email, it's a phishing attempt. Don't fall into the trap!)

• Il a cru à sa promesse et est tombé en plein dans le piège. (He believed his promise and fell right into the trap.)
• Les touristes tombent souvent dans le piège des restaurants trop chers. (Tourists often fall into the trap of overpriced restaurants.)
• Je savais que c'était une ruse, alors je ne suis pas tombé dans le piège. (I knew it was a trick, so I didn't fall into the trap.)

1. Understanding 'Prendre du Retard' (To Fall Behind)

The key French expression for 'to fall behind' in contexts like work, studies, or schedules is prendre du retard. While the literal translation is 'to take some delay,' it perfectly captures the idea of not keeping up with a planned pace or deadline.

This phrase is a combination of two parts: prendre, a very common but irregular verb meaning 'to take,' and du retard, which means 'a delay' or 'lateness.' Together, they form a set idiomatic expression that you should learn as a single unit.

To use this phrase, you must conjugate the verb prendre to match your subject and tense. For example, 'I am falling behind' is Je prends du retard. The expression is often followed by prepositions like dans (in) or sur (on) to specify the context, such as prendre du retard **dans** son travail (to fall behind in one's work).

It's crucial to know that prendre du retard applies to abstract progress, not physical location. You use it for projects, homework, or a train schedule. You would not use it to say you are falling behind a person you are walking with. For that, you might use rester en arrière or être à la traîne.

💡 * Si tu ne te concentres pas, tu vas prendre du retard dans tes études.

• J'ai pris beaucoup de retard sur mon projet à cause de ma maladie.
• Le train a pris du retard et arrivera avec trente minutes de retard.
• Nous ne pouvons pas nous permettre de prendre du retard sur le calendrier.

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

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

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to fall' in French, from the literal tomber to the more specific chuter. However, the French language is rich with other terms, including idiomatic expressions, regionalisms, and slang that you'll discover on your learning journey.

For more nuanced meanings, you can search online for “synonyme de tomber” or “expression avec le verbe tomber”. This can help you find expressions related to falling in love, falling ill, or falling behind.

You will undoubtedly find many interesting synonyms. Before using a new verb, always check its definition and observe how it's used in context. The difference between a literal fall and a figurative one is crucial!

Keep your ears and eyes open as you watch, read, and listen to French media. Noticing how native speakers use these different verbs for 'to fall' is one of the best ways to master their subtleties.

If you want to dive deeper into the various uses and expressions, the WordReference entry for tomber is a fantastic starting point for any curious learner.

I hope this article has been helpful. To finish, here's a perfect quote on the subject, often attributed to Confucius: La plus grande gloire n'est pas de ne jamais tomber, mais de se relever à chaque chute. (The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.)