falls
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fɔːlz/
- (Canada, cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /fɑlz/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔːlz
Derived terms
Translations
German
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fals/
Audio (file)
Conjunction
falls
- (conditional, somewhat formal) if, in the event that
- Falls es anfängt zu regnen, müssen wir das Fenster zumachen.
- If it starts raining, we need to close the window.
- (chiefly colloquial) in case, in order to be prepared if
- Lass uns das Fenster zumachen, falls es anfängt zu regnen.
- Let's close the window, in case it starts raining.
Usage notes
- Falls is synonymous to more common wenn (“if”), but has the advantage of being unambiguously conditional, while wenn can also be used temporally (meaning "when, whenever").
- Colloquially, falls is used somewhat differently than in standard German proper. It does occur in sense 1, but infrequently. In return, it is often heard in sense 2 where formal usage would require für den Fall, dass.
Synonyms
- (sense 1) wenn
- (sense 2) für den Fall, dass
Related terms
Icelandic
Luxembourgish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fals/, [fɑl(t)s]
- Rhymes: -ɑls
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