ein|fallen
Translation
to occur to someone, to come to mind, to collapse, to invade
Examples
Mir ist eine gute Idee eingefallen.
A good idea occurred to me.
Das alte Haus ist eingefallen.
The old house collapsed.
Die Truppen fielen in das Land ein.
The troops invaded the country.
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) occurs to ((sb.)) A strange thought occurred to me.
((sth.)) collapses The roof collapsed under the weight of the snow.
to invade ((somewhere)) The army invaded the neighboring country.
Similar Words
Synonyms: in den Sinn kommen (to come to mind), einstürzen (to collapse); Antonym: vergessen (to forget)
Etymology
Composed of the prefix `ein-` (in, into) and `fallen` (to fall). Literally 'to fall into'. This can mean 'to fall into one's mind' (to occur) or 'to fall inward' (to collapse).
Memory Tips
Imagine an idea literally 'falling into' your head, or a roof 'falling in' on itself.