The verb fall means to move downward, usually because of gravity. It is an irregular verb.
- Base form: fall
- Past tense: fell
- Past participle: fallen
Meaning and Usage
Fall is used to describe moving downward, dropping, or decreasing.
- She watched the leaves fall from the tree.
- The price of oil fell last week.
- The cups have fallen off the shelf.
Which word correctly completes the sentence: The old book _____ apart after many years?
fell
"Fell" is the past tense of "fall," indicating that the book moved downward or broke apart in the past. "Fall" is present/base tense, "falls" is present tense for he/she/it, and "fail" has a different meaning (not succeed).
Conjugation Examples
| Pronoun | Simple Present | Simple Past | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I fall | I fell | I have fallen |
| You | You fall | You fell | You have fallen |
| He/She/It | She falls | She fell | She has fallen |
| We | We fall | We fell | We have fallen |
| They | They fall | They fell | They have fallen |
Examples
- Base Form: Be careful not to fall on the ice.
- Past Tense: He fell and hurt his knee.
- Past Participle: She has fallen in love.
Irregular Verb Summary
| Base Form | Past Tense | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| fall | fell | fallen | The leaves have fallen. |
Usage Tips
- Use fallen with auxiliary verbs: has, have, had.
- Don’t confuse with fail (to not succeed).
- Use prepositions (e.g., fall into, fall over) for specific meanings.
Common Collocations
- fall down (trip or collapse)
- fall off (detach or decrease)
- fall in love (begin to love someone)
- fall apart (break into pieces or emotionally collapse)
- fall behind (lag or delay)
Review
The verb fall means to move downward or decrease.
- Past tense is fell (e.g., He fell yesterday).
- Past participle is fallen (e.g., She has fallen).
- Use auxiliary verbs (have/has) with fallen.
- Be careful not to confuse with similar words like fail.
Now you know how to use fall, fell, and fallen correctly!
Which sentence correctly uses "fell"?
He fell yesterday.
"Fell" is the correct simple past tense form for an action that happened and ended in the past. Other forms are grammatically incorrect in this context.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
