tomber sur
The English phrase "come across" can be translated into French as tomber sur.
Tomber sur is used to mean finding or stumbling upon something or someone by chance. This applies to both physical objects, such as a book and encountering people, such as an old friend.
Meaning: find, usually by accident (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tomber sur means "to fall on", consisting of the verb tomber (to fall) and the preposition sur (on).
Which one should you use?
While the word trouver is a neutral way to say "to find", tomber sur specifically emphasizes that the discovery was accidental or unexpected. For more emphasis on the element of chance, you can use Tomber par hasard sur. To express the surprise or the sudden nature of an encounter with someone or something, you can use Se retrouver nez à nez avec, which means "to find oneself nose to nose with".
Did you know?
- In Old French, the root of tomber was used to describe dancing, leaping and doing somersaults.
- In French, if you say you 'fell on' a person, it can be interpreted as a sudden, unexpected encounter, but you must be careful with your tone to avoid implying a physical collision.
- While tomber sur describes a chance meeting, French uses the verb tomber in many other idiomatic expressions to describe unexpected emotional states or situations.
Examples in context
- J'ai rencontré plusieurs personnes intéressantes lors de mon voyageI came across several interesting people during my trip
- Je suis tombé sur un vieux livre dans une librairieI came across an old book in a bookstore
- Nous sommes souvent confrontés à des difficultés dans notre travailWe often come across challenges in our work
- Je suis tombé par hasard sur cet endroit merveilleux pendant mes vacancesI stumbled upon this amazing place by chance during my vacation
- En marchant dans la forêt, je me suis retrouvé nez à nez avec un cerfWhile walking in the forest, I came across a deer
- Je suis récemment tombée sur un article intéressant dans le journalI recently came across an interesting article in the newspaper
- Lors de mes voyages, je rencontre souvent de nouvelles cultures et traditionsDuring my travels, I often come across new cultures and traditions
- Hier soir, je suis tombé sur un vieux film à la télévisionLast night, I came across an old movie on TV
- En me promenant dans la ville, je suis tombée par hasard sur une belle boutique de chocolatWhile strolling around the city, I stumbled upon a lovely chocolate shop
- Il a pu tomber sur ce livre en librairie.He might have come across this book in a bookstore.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “come across” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sur, tomber, CC BY-SA 4.0.
