French · Everyday Verbs
"to fall" in French: tomber
tomber
To fall in French is tomber. Je tombe, tu tombes, il est tombé / elle est tombée. Prefer clear verb forms so tombe is not read as a grave.
Icy sidewalk
Attention, je tombe sur le verglas !Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce tomber
Say it
tohn-BAY
/tɔ̃.be/
Tomber: tohn-BAY. Tombe: tohnb. Tombé: tohn-BAY. Soft nasal om.
"to fall" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| tomber | to fall Infinitive. | Infinitive. |
| je tombe / tu tombes | I fall / you fall Present. | Present. |
| il est tombé / elle est tombée | he/she fell Passé composé with être. | Passé composé with être. |
| faire tomber | to drop / knock down Cause something to fall. | Cause something to fall. |
How to use tomber in real life
- 1Icy sidewalk
Attention, je tombe sur le verglas !
Careful, I'm falling on the black ice!
Je tombe — clearly the verb.
- 2Sports injury
Il est tombé pendant le match.
He fell during the match.
Il est tombé.
- 3Phone slip
Mon téléphone est tombé dans l'évier.
My phone fell in the sink.
Est tombé with object.
Mistakes English speakers make with tomber
Incorrect: Il a tombé.
Correct: Il est tombé.
Tomber takes être in the passé composé.
Incorrect: Je visite la tombe.
Correct: Je tombe / Il est tombé.
La tombe is a grave; use clear verb forms for this headword.
Good to know
French weather reports warn about verglas when people tombent. Faire une chute is a common noun cousin. With phones, est tombé is evening drama.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
After a scooter mishap
ChatPal
Tu es tombé ?
Did you fall?
You
Oui, je suis tombé sur le trottoir.
Yes, I fell on the sidewalk.
ChatPal
Doucement — si tu tombes encore, on arrête.
Easy—if you fall again, we stop.
You
D'accord, on marche.
Okay, we'll walk.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"to fall" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "to fall" in French
How do you say to fall in French?
Tomber.
Avoir or être?
Être: il est tombé.
Does la tombe count?
No — that's a grave.
How do you pronounce tomber?
tohn-BAY.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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