A simple verb with an enormous figurative afterlife.
tomber is a plain regular -ER verb meaning to fall: « je tombe », « il tombe ». Its literal sense is easy, which is lucky, because almost everything interesting about this verb is figurative and comes later.
One thing to fix now: it takes être in the past, not avoir. That is covered properly at A2, but start expecting it.
💡 Focus at this level: Basics — falling
1. Regular in the present. No surprises.
2. Weather falls too. « La pluie tombe. »
3. « Attention, tu vas tomber ! » — the everyday warning.
Play the free French games → · Back to the full « tomber » chart →