tomber

Senses

1. 1.

   to fall

   to drop or descend suddenly through the air

2. 2.

   to collapse; to break down

   to fall into disrepair or cease functioning

3. 3.

   to happen; to occur

   to take place or befall (often with impersonal subjects like dates, events)

4. 4.

   to fall (in love, asleep, etc.)

   to enter a state or condition

Examples

• "L'enfant a tombé de la chaise."

  The child fell from the chair.

• "Il est tombé amoureux d'elle."

  He fell in love with her.

• "Noël tombe un mardi cette année."

  Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year.

Usage

Tomber is an intransitive verb conjugated with the auxiliary être in compound tenses (passé composé, etc.). The reflexive form se tomber is rarely used; instead, use tomber or the impersonal il tombe. Common in phrasal expressions: tomber en panne (break down), tomber malade (fall ill), tomber sur (come across).