Signification
Being completely surprised by news.
Contexte culturel
In Greek media, 'falling from the clouds' is often used by journalists to describe the public's reaction to political scandals, sometimes with a touch of irony. The phrase is equally common in Cyprus, used in the same contexts and with the same grammatical structure. Second-generation Greeks in the US or Australia often translate this literally into English ('I fell from the clouds'), which has become a 'Greek-ism' in those communities.
Use the Aorist
90% of the time, you will use this in the past tense ('έπεσα'). It describes the moment the shock hit you.
Don't overdo it
Save this for genuine shocks. If you use it for everything, you'll sound like a drama queen.
Signification
Being completely surprised by news.
Use the Aorist
90% of the time, you will use this in the past tense ('έπεσα'). It describes the moment the shock hit you.
Don't overdo it
Save this for genuine shocks. If you use it for everything, you'll sound like a drama queen.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'πέφτω' in the past tense.
Όταν η Μαρία έμαθε την αλήθεια, ________ από τα σύννεφα.
We need the third person singular (Maria) in the past tense (Aorist) because the shock happened when she learned the truth.
Match the situation to the most likely reaction.
Your best friend, who hates exercise, just finished a marathon.
This is a highly unexpected event, making 'falling from the clouds' the perfect reaction.
Which of the following is the correct plural form of the idiom?
Οι γονείς μου ________ από τα σύννεφα με την είδηση.
'Οι γονείς μου' (My parents) is third person plural, so the verb must be 'έπεσαν'.
🎉 Score : /3
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
3 exercicesΌταν η Μαρία έμαθε την αλήθεια, ________ από τα σύννεφα.
We need the third person singular (Maria) in the past tense (Aorist) because the shock happened when she learned the truth.
Your best friend, who hates exercise, just finished a marathon.
This is a highly unexpected event, making 'falling from the clouds' the perfect reaction.
Οι γονείς μου ________ από τα σύννεφα με την είδηση.
'Οι γονείς μου' (My parents) is third person plural, so the verb must be 'έπεσαν'.
🎉 Score : /3
Questions fréquentes
3 questionsYes, but it's more common for neutral or bad news. For good news, it implies the surprise was so big you couldn't imagine it.
Yes, if you are expressing genuine surprise at a major development. It's neutral-formal.
'Εκπλήσσομαι' is the standard verb for 'to be surprised'. 'Πέφτω από τα σύννεφα' is much stronger and more idiomatic.
Expressions liées
Είμαι στα σύννεφα
contrastTo be extremely happy or 'on cloud nine'.
Μένω άφωνος
synonymTo be left speechless.
Κεραυνός εν αιθρία
similarA bolt from the blue.
