extraño a alguien
/eɡstɾaɲo a alɡjen/from spelling rules
To say "I miss someone" in Spanish, use extraño a alguien.
The phrase is used to express a feeling of sadness because one is no longer with a person they care about.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase uses the verb extrañar conjugated in the first person singular present tense.
Which one should you use?
While extraño a alguien is a general way to say "I miss someone", the phrase te extraño is the specific way to say "I miss you". Another common alternative to express the same feeling of missing someone is te echo de menos.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, Te extraño. is an informal way to say "I miss you."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the 'personal a' because the object of the verb is a specific person.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɡstɾaɲo a alɡjen/
Did you know?
- The verb extrañar can also mean 'to find something odd' or 'to be surprised'. For example, me extraña que no estés aquí means 'it surprises me that you are not here'.
- The word extraño shares its root with the English word 'strange'.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, the phrase te extraño can feel more intense or poetic than the more common te echo de menos.
Examples in context
- Estoy echando de menos a mi familiaI'm missing my family.
- Te echo de menos, mi amorI miss you, my love.
- Me haces falta, amigoI miss you, friend.
- Te echo demasiado de menosI miss you too much.
- Siempre te echo de menosI always miss you.
- Te echo mucho de menosI miss you a lot.
- Me haces falta, mi dulce amiga.I miss you, my sweet friend.
- Te extraño, hermanoI miss you, brother.
- Extraño a alguien de mi pasado.I miss someone from my past.
- A veces extraño a alguien con mucha intensidad.Sometimes I miss someone very intensely.
- No puedo decir que extraño a alguien ahora.I cannot say that I miss someone right now.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are sitting in a cafe talking about life.
- SofíaA veces me siento muy sola.Sometimes I feel very lonely.
- Alejandro¿Es porque extraño a alguien?Is it because you miss someone?
- SofíaSí, extraño a alguien que se fue.Yes, I miss someone who left.
- AlejandroLo siento mucho, Sofía.I am very sorry, Sofía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, alguien, extraño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
