tu me manques
/ty mə mɑ̃k/
The phrase 'I miss you' in French is tu me manques.
Tu me manques is a common way to say I miss you in French. You can emphasize the feeling of missing someone with Tu me manques tellement. Tu me manques trop. means I miss you so much.
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
How does it change in a sentence?
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. To say 'I miss him' or 'I miss her', the subject changes to the third person singular: il me manque or elle me manque.
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'.
Did you know?
- In French, the concept of 'missing someone' is framed as a lack or a void that the person creates within you, rather than an action you perform.
- The verb manquer can also mean 'to fail' or 'to miss a target'. In the context of missing a person, it describes a void or a lack of something essential.
- The word me in tu me manques stems from the Latin 'mē', which was the accusative form of 'I', but in some Northern French dialects, the dative 'mi' from 'mihi' is still preserved.
Examples in context
- Tu me manques !I miss you!This example shows how to express the feeling of missing someone.Tatoeba #6055110 by verdakoro, translation #6055899 by sergiomelo
- Tu me manques déjà.I miss you already.This example shows how to say you miss someone already.Tatoeba #2482558 by sacredceltic, translation #2280311 by CK
- Tu me manques, Tom.I miss you, Tom.This example shows how to include a name when saying you miss someone.Tatoeba #7815585 by Rockaround, translation #1887572 by CK
- Tu me manques, mon cher. J'attends avec impatience notre prochaine rencontre.I miss you, my dear. I am eagerly waiting for our next meeting.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are talking on the phone after a long trip.
- LucasTu me manques beaucoup.I miss you a lot.
- EmmaMoi aussi, tu me manques.I miss you too.
- LucasQuand est-ce que tu reviens ?When are you coming back?
- EmmaLa semaine prochaine.Next week.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I miss you” translations and entries tu me manques, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
