tu me manques
/ty mə mɑ̃k/
The phrase "I am missing you" in French is tu me manques.
This phrase is used to tell someone that you feel sadness because they are not with you.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase tu me manques literally translates to "you are missing to me", reversing the English logic where 'I' am the subject doing the missing.
Which one should you use?
To say 'I miss you' to more than one person or to someone you address formally, use vous me manquez instead of tu me manques.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that you were missing someone in the past, you can use the imperfect tense tu me manquais (I was missing you / I missed you).
How do you pronounce it?
/ty mə mɑ̃k/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say Je te manque to mean 'I miss you', but this actually means 'You miss me' because the subject is the person being missed.
Did you know?
- The French word manquer is also used to describe a missed train or a failed target in archery. This connects the feeling of missing a person to the physical act of missing a mark.
- Because manquer can mean 'to be lacking', saying tu me manques can subtly imply that the other person is a necessary piece of the speaker's own completeness.
- The word me in this phrase evolved from the Latin 'mihi', which is the dative form used to indicate to whom something is happening. While Northern French dialects preserved the 'mi' sound, standard French merged it into the modern me.
Examples in context
- Madame Dupont, vous me manquez sincèrement depuis votre départ en voyage. J'attends avec impatience votre retour à la maison.Madame Dupont, you have been sincerely missed since your trip. I am eagerly awaiting your return home.
- Monsieur Durand, votre absence me pèse plus que je ne saurais l'exprimer. J'espère vous revoir bientôt et partager de bons moments ensemble.Mr. Durand, your absence weighs heavily on me, more than words can express. I hope to see you soon and share good times together.
- Mon amie, tu me manques énormément. On se voit ce week-end pour rattraper le temps perdu?My friend, I miss you enormously. Shall we meet this weekend to make up for lost time?
- Chérie, tu me manques grave. Je compte les jours jusqu'à notre prochaine rencontre. Je t'embrasse fort!Darling, I miss you a lot. I am counting the days until our next meeting. Sending you a big hug!
- Tu me manques beaucoup.I miss you a lot.
- Tu me manques déjà.I miss you already.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are talking on the phone after a weekend apart.
- LucasCoucou, comment vas-tu ?Hi, how are you?
- ManonÇa va, mais tu me manques.I'm okay, but I miss you.
- LucasMoi aussi, tu me manques énormément.Me too, I miss you enormously.
- ManonVivement qu'on se voie !I can't wait until we see each other!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tu me manques, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
