ich habe dich vermisst
/ɪç ˈhaːbə dɪç ferˈmɪst/word by word
To say "I have missed you" in German, use ich habe dich vermisst.
This phrase is used to tell someone that you felt their absence and wanted to see them again.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb vermissen literally means to miss someone or something, expressing the feeling of their absence.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Bavarian dialect, one might say I hab di vermissd instead of the standard form. In Swiss German, one would say I ha di vermisst instead of Ich habe dich vermisst.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase ich habe dich vermisst is the singular informal form and uses the accusative pronoun dich to address one person informally. If you are addressing more than one person informally, you must change dich to euch to say ich habe euch vermisst. To express this to a stranger or in a formal setting, use the pronoun Sie instead of dich, resulting in ich habe Sie vermisst.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɪç ˈhaːbə dɪç ferˈmɪst/
Did you know?
- In romantic contexts, Germans might replace the phrase with du hast mir gefehlt, which literally translates to 'you were lacking to me'.
- The verb vermissen is related to the noun Vermissung, which can refer to the physical disappearance or loss of an object. This connects the emotional feeling of missing a person to the formal reporting of a missing item.
- The pronoun ich shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'I' and even the Latin 'ego'. They all descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root used by prehistoric speakers.
Examples in context
- Ich habe Ihre Anwesenheit vermisst.I have missed your presence.
- Ich habe dich vermisst.I have missed you.
Example conversation
Julia and Maximilian meet at the airport after a long trip.
- JuliaMaximilian, ich habe dich vermisst!Maximilian, I have missed you!
- MaximilianIch habe dich auch vermisst, Julia.I have missed you too, Julia.
- JuliaSchön, dass du endlich wieder da bist.It's great that you are finally back.
- MaximilianIch bin auch froh, dich zu sehen.I am also happy to see you.
