Fall

noun
case
B1

Meanings: 'case' or 'instance' (e.g., legal case, hypothetical). Noun: der Fall. Plural is Fälle (note umlaut change), irregular plural. Declines as der Fall / des Falls / dem Fall / die Fälle. Common collocations: im Fall (in case), im schlimmsten Fall (in the worst case).

Examples

In diesem Fall kann ich Ihnen leider nicht helfen.
I'm afraid I can't help you in this case.
In diesem Fall können wir helfen.
In this case we can help.
Im schlimmsten Fall würden die Mitarbeiter evakuiert, wenn der Brand sich ausbreitete.
In the worst case, the employees would be evacuated if the fire spread.

Details

PluralFälle

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
nominativeder Falldie Fälle
genitivedes Fallsder Fälle
dativedem Fallden Fällen
accusativeden Falldie Fälle

Mnemonics

👂sounds like English 'fall' — imagine a falling event to remember an instance
⚧️der (masculine) — remember 'der Fall' like 'the fall (event)' which is often described as masculine

Notes

Has multiple meanings (case, instance, fall); as a noun it is capitalized. Context determines whether it means 'case', 'fall (accident)', or other senses.

Category

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Related Words

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