Fall past tense: fell, fallen
drop down
Fall is an irregular English verb: the past simple of fall is fell and the past participle is fallen. Learn the three forms together — fall – fell – fallen.
Verb forms
Base form
/fɔːl/
Past Simple
/fel/
Past Participle
/ˈfɔːlən/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · fall
Leaves fall from the trees in autumn.
Past Simple · fell
She fell off her bike and hurt her knee.
Past Participle · fallen
House prices have fallen sharply this year.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I fall he / she / it falls | I fell | I have fallen |
| Present Continuous:I am falling · he / she / it is falling | ||
Common collocations
fall asleep
to begin sleeping
fall in love
to begin to love someone
fall behind
to fail to keep pace
Grammar guide
Fall belongs to the ABC group: all three forms are different (fall – fell – fallen), so each form has to be learnt separately.
- Past simple – fell: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – fallen: after have, has or had (present perfect, past perfect) and after be in the passive voice.
- Questions and negatives in the past simple use did + the base form: Did you fall…? I didn’t fall.
Verbs with the same pattern
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about fall
- What is the past simple of fall?
- The past simple of fall is fell.
- What is the past participle of fall?
- The past participle of fall is fallen.
- What are the three forms of fall?
- The three forms are fall – fell – fallen: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is fall a regular or an irregular verb?
- Fall is irregular: its past simple is fell, not falled.