German · Everyday Verbs
"to fall" in German: fallen
fallen
Note: also: hinfallen
To fall in German is fallen. Say Ich falle or Er fällt. Past with sein: Ich bin gefallen. Die Falle is a trap — a different word.
Icy sidewalk
Vorsicht, hier fällt man leicht.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce fallen
Say it
FALL-en
/ˈfalən/
FALL-en. Short a; clear double l feel.
"to fall" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| fallen | to fall Infinitive. | Infinitive. |
| fällt / fiel / gefallen | falls / fell / fallen Key forms. | Key forms. |
| hinfallen | to fall down Note only — related. | Note only — related. |
| umfallen | to tip over Objects. | Objects. |
How to use fallen in real life
- 1Icy sidewalk
Vorsicht, hier fällt man leicht.
Careful, you fall easily here.
Fällt conjugation.
- 2After a stumble
Ich bin vor der Tür gefallen.
I fell in front of the door.
Bin gefallen.
- 3Leaves
Im Oktober fallen die Blätter früher.
In October the leaves fall earlier.
Fallen present plural.
Mistakes English speakers make with fallen
Incorrect: Ich habe gefallen.
Correct: Ich bin gefallen.
Motion/change verb: sein + gefallen.
Incorrect: Ich falle in die Falle. (as the verb headword only)
Correct: Ich falle. / Er fällt.
Die Falle is a trap noun; make the verb clear with ich falle / er fällt.
Good to know
After icy days, people warn with Glatteis — Vorsicht, man fällt leicht. For sports and dance, fallen is literal; for mood drops they often use other verbs.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Someone slips on wet tiles
ChatPal
Alles okay?
Everything okay?
You
Ja — ich bin nur kurz gefallen.
Yes — I just fell briefly.
ChatPal
Langsam. Hier fällt man echt schnell.
Slowly. You really fall fast here.
You
Nächstes Mal andere Schuhe.
Next time different shoes.
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 German
How do you conjugate fallen?
Ich falle, du fällst, er fällt; past fiel; participle gefallen.
Haben or sein?
Ich bin gefallen.
Is hinfallen okay?
Related note, not the bare headword.
Die Falle?
That means trap — not this verb.
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