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English irregular verbs, past forms of Fall: Fall - Fell - Fallen

Fall is a common verb in English. So what are the past forms of Fall? How can you conjugate the verb Fall accurately? Let's explore the answers to these questions and gain valuable knowledge with PREP!

I. What is Fall?

In English, Fall is pronounced as /fɔːl/ and functions as both a verb and a noun.

Fall acts as a verb, meaning: move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level; (of a person) lose one's balance and collapse. For example: Education standards are continuing to fall.
Fall acts as a noun, meaning: an act of falling or collapsing; a sudden uncontrollable descent. For example: There's been a sharp fall in prices.

II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Fall? The past forms of Fall in English

What are V0, V2, V3 of Fall? V0, V2, V3 stand for: Infinitive, Past Simple and Past Participle. Let's delve into the details of the past forms of Fall in the table below!

Past forms of Fall		Example
V0	Fall	Anna falls asleep on the sofa while watching TV every evening.
V2	Fell	Anna fell asleep on the sofa while watching TV yesterday evening.
V3	Fallen	Anna has fallen asleep on the sofa while watching TV for 4 hours.

In conclusion, the past forms of Fall are: the past form of Fall in past simple is Fell and the past participle of Fall is Fallen.

III. How to conjugate the verb Fall

How is the verb Fall conjugated in different tenses and special sentence structures? After exploring the past forms of Fall, let’s take a look at the conjugation rules of the verb Fall in various contexts with PREP!

1. In tenses

12 English tenses	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Present simple tense	fall	falls	fall
	For example: I fall asleep easily when I listen to calming music. He falls behind in his studies when he doesn't pay attention in class. We fall into a routine during the workweek.
Present continuous tense	am falling	is falling	are falling
	For example: I am falling asleep because I stayed up too late last night. He is falling behind in his work due to the heavy workload. We are falling into a pattern of procrastination if we don't set deadlines.
Present perfect tense	have fallen	has fallen	have fallen
	For example: I have fallen in love with the city since I moved here. He has fallen asleep in front of the TV again. We have fallen behind schedule due to unexpected delays.
Present perfect continuous tense	have been falling	has been falling	have been falling
	For example: I have been falling in love with her more and more every day. He has been falling asleep in class because he's been staying up late studying. We have been falling behind on our project because of unexpected complications.
Past simple tense	fell	fell	fell
	For example: I fell off my bike and scraped my knee yesterday. He fell asleep while reading a book last night. We fell behind schedule due to bad weather.
Past continuous tense	was falling	was falling	were falling
	For example: I was falling asleep when the phone rang. He was falling behind in his studies because of his illness. We were falling in love with the city as we explored its charm.
Past Perfect Tense	had fallen	had fallen	had fallen
	For example: I had fallen asleep before they arrived home. He had fallen behind in his payments because of unexpected expenses. We had fallen in love with the house even before we saw the inside.
Past perfect continuous tense	had been falling	had been falling	had been falling
	For example: I had been falling asleep when the storm suddenly woke me up. He had been falling behind in his training because of his injury. We had been falling in love with the idea of traveling the world before we encountered financial difficulties.
Simple future tense	will fall	will fall	will fall
	For example: I will fall asleep as soon as I finish reading this book. He will fall behind in his work if he doesn't manage his time better. We will fall in love with the new city once we explore its beauty.
Future continuous tense	will be falling	will be falling	will be falling
	For example: I will be falling asleep while you're still working on your project. He will be falling behind in his studies if he doesn't start focusing more. We will be falling in love with the scenery as we hike through the mountains.
Future Perfect tense	will have fallen	will have fallen	will have fallen
	For example: I will have fallen asleep by the time you arrive home. He will have fallen behind in his training if he doesn't start practicing regularly. We will have fallen in love with the destination long before we even arrive there.
Future perfect continuous tense	will have been falling	will have been falling	will have been falling
	For example: I will have been falling asleep for hours by the time you get back. He will have been falling behind in his studies if he doesn't seek help from a tutor. We will have been falling in love with each other for years before we decide to get married.

2. In special sentence structures

Special structure	I	He/She/It	We/You/They
Conditional sentences
Conditional sentence type 2 - Main clause	would fall	would fall	would fall
Conditional sentence type 2 - Main clause	For example: I would fall asleep during the movie if it were boring. She would fall behind in her studies if she didn't attend the lesson on time. They would fall in love with the city if they visited during the springtime.
Conditional sentence type 2 - Variation of the main clause	would be falling	would be falling	would be falling
Conditional sentence type 2 - Variation of the main clause	For example: If I were on that slippery slope, I would be falling every few steps. She would be falling behind in her training if she didn't practice regularly. They would be falling in line with the company's expectations if they adhere to the new policies.
Conditional sentence type 3 - Main clause	would have fallen	would have fallen	would have fallen
Conditional sentence type 3 - Main clause	For example: If I had not grabbed onto the railing, I would have fallen down the stairs. She would have fallen ill if she hadn't taken precautions against the cold weather. They would have fallen behind schedule if they hadn't worked overtime last week.
Conditional sentence type 3 - Variation of the main clause	would have been falling	would have been falling	would have been falling
Conditional sentence type 3 - Variation of the main clause	For example: If I hadn't caught the flu shot, I would have been falling sick every winter. She would have been falling behind in her studies if she hadn't done her assignments. They would have been falling short of their goals if they hadn't implemented new strategies last year.
Hypothetical sentence
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Present Event	fall	fall	fall
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Contrast with Reality in the Present	fell	fell	fell
Hypothetical Sentence Expressing a Contrast with Reality in the Past	had fallen	had fallen	had fallen
Example	I wish I fell in the right track sooner. Anna wishes she had fallen in love with her husband when she was 20s. If I fall in love with you, I will marry you.

IV. Past forms of some verbs containing Fall

Apart from using Fall as a standalone word, when combined with other words, it forms various vocabulary. Let's take a look at the past forms of some verbs containing Fall with PREP!

Meaning

Befall

/bɪˈfɑːl/

Befell

/bɪˈfel/

Befallen

/bɪˈfɔːlən/

(of something bad) happen to someone

For example:

They were unaware of the fate that was to befall them.
A natural disaster befell that region a year ago.
A dreadful misfortune has befallen the family since 2015.

Misfall

/mɪsˈfoːl/

Misfell

/ˌmɪsˈfel/

Misfallen

/ˈmɪsˌfɔːlən/

to suffer bad luck or misfortune

For example:

He seemed to misfall at every turn, encountering one misfortune after another.
A terrible misfortune misfell John.
The family had misfallen upon hard times and struggling to make ends meet.

V. Phrasal verbs with Fall in English

After exploring the past forms of Fall, let’s take a look at a list of phrasal verbs with Fall in English. Make sure to keep it in mind!

Phrasal verbs with Fall	Meaning	Example
Fall down	collapse to the ground	The shelf wasn't properly secured, causing it to fall down and scatter its contents across the floor.
Fall off	to become less in number, amount, or quality	The leaves began to fall off the trees as autumn approached.
Fall out of	Go down (bed, airplane, window, ...)	The child accidentally fell out of the treehouse.
Fall into	to start doing something, often without intending to	She fell into a conversation with the taxi driver.
Fall to	to begin doing something energetically	It fell to me to explain to him what happened.

VI. Exercise on the past forms of Fall with Answers

To have a better understanding of the past forms of Fall and phrasal verbs with Fall in English, let's complete the exercise below with PREP!

1. Exercises

Exercise 1: Conjugate the verb Fall

Mona never (fall) _______ in love with those guys.
Look! The tree (fall) _______ over.
Jack (fall) _______ behind since he lost his family.
I (fall) _______ down the stairs last month ago but I can feel the pain clearly now.
If you continue to build the house on this land, it (fall) _______ over soon.

Exercise 2: Fill in the appropriate phrasal verb with Fall that you have learned

Anna tripped over the rug and began to ______ the stairs.
Be careful, the paint on this old railing tends to ______ easily.
The coins ______ his pocket as he jumped over the fence.
I ______ my job quite by accident.
There is a lot of work to do, so they ______ immediately.

2. Answer

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
falls is falling has fallen fell will fall	Fall down Fall off Fall out of Fall into Fall to

PREP hopes that after reading the article above, you have understood the meaning and various past forms of Fall in English, along with some common phrasal verbs with Fall. Let’s follow PREP to update your English knowledge!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Mr. Tú Phạm is the founder of PREP, a Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of teaching and test preparation experience, he has assisted thousands of students in achieving high scores on the IELTS exam. Additionally, Mr. Tú Phạm serves as a consultant for British Council programs and as a speaker at numerous premier education events, programs, and seminars.

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English irregular verbs, past forms of Fall: Fall - Fell - Fallen

I. What is Fall?

II. What are V0, V2, V3 of Fall? The past forms of Fall in English

III. How to conjugate the verb Fall

1. In tenses

2. In special sentence structures

IV. Past forms of some verbs containing Fall

V. Phrasal verbs with Fall in English

VI. Exercise on the past forms of Fall with Answers

1. Exercises

2. Answer

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