Published July 22, 2020 • Updated July 19, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Tomber dans les pommes — Meaning and Pronunciation
Tomber dans les pommes is a French expression that translates literally to “to fall into the apples” and means “to faint” or “to pass out.” The expression first appeared in 1889, and although its exact origin is unclear, pomme may be related to the verb se pâmer, meaning “to faint.”
The IPA pronunciation of tomber dans les pommes is /tɔ̃.be dɑ̃ le pɔm/, which sounds approximately like “tohn-bay dahn lay pom”.
Example Sentences
Pierre ne peut pas supporter la vue du sang et a chaque fois qu’il en voit il tombe dans les pommes.
Pierre can’t stand the sight of blood, and every time he sees it, he faints.
Je n’ai pas écouté les détails médicaux et quand je les entends je tombe dans les pommes.
I didn’t listen to the medical details, and when I hear them, I faint.
Reach fluency faster
I’ve been recommending Camille’s flagship French Today course, À Moi Paris, to my students for years. Her lessons focus on real spoken French and pair wonderfully with my daily lessons.
👉 Explore À Moi Paris »
👉 Read my review »
If you purchase the courses, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
👉 Next lesson: Avoir le cafard (to be despressed)
Related French Words & Expressions
- s’évanouir — to faint
- perdre connaissance — to lose consciousness
- faire un malaise — to feel faint; to have a dizzy spell
- avoir la tête qui tourne — to feel dizzy
- se sentir faible — to feel weak
- reprendre connaissance — to regain consciousness
- revenir à soi — to come around; to regain consciousness
🚀 Continue learning on FrenchLearner!
👉 French Word of the Day (200+ lessons) »
👉 French verb conjugations »
👉 French vocabulary lists »
👉 French song lyrics »
👉 French grammar lessons »
