落ちてしまいました versus 落としてしまいました


If I lose my wallet and want to report it to the police officer, what is the
correct expression between the two sentences below?

  1. 財布 **が落ちて** しまいましたが、。。。
  2. 財布 **を落として** しまいましたが、。。。




  2. is the choice.

Syntactically 1. is not incorrect, but it means your wallet fell in a
"spontaneous" fashion, as in "my wallet fell from the night table."

*** Added ***

Oh, I forgot.

落ちる is intransitive, meaning "to fall."

落とす is transitive, meaning "to drop."

Hence 財布を落としてしまいました = I dropped my wallet (and hence I have lost it.)




  2. is the choice.

Syntactically 1. is not incorrect, but it means your wallet fell in a
"spontaneous" fashion, as in "my wallet fell from the night table."

*** Added ***

Oh, I forgot.

落ちる is intransitive, meaning "to fall."

落とす is transitive, meaning "to drop."

Hence 財布を落としてしまいました = I dropped my wallet (and hence I have lost it.)

