What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tu me manques translates to "you are missing to me".
Which one should you use?
In English, the subject is the person who feels the loss ("I"). In French, the subject is the person who is absent ("tu"). Because of this, if you want to say "I miss her," the subject changes to the person being missed, resulting in elle me manque.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, a common variation used to amplify the sentiment is Tu me manques en masse, which means "I miss you hugely."
How does it change in a sentence?
To address one person informally, use tu me manques. To address one person formally or to address a group of people, use vous me manquez.
How do you pronounce it?
/ty mə mɑ̃k/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say Je te manque when they intend to say "I miss you". However, Je te manque actually means "You miss me".
Did you know?
- The word manque comes from the Latin 'mancus', meaning 'maimed' or 'crippled'. Expressing that you miss someone is rooted in the idea of being incomplete or impaired by their absence.
- The word manquer is used in French to describe things that are missing from a recipe or a missing piece of a puzzle. This means that when you say tu me manques, you are linguistically treating the person like a missing ingredient in your life.
- The word tu shares a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor with the English 'thou' and the Russian ты. While 'thou' fell out of common use in English, tu remains a primary way to express intimacy in French.
Examples in context
- Tu me manques !I miss you!This example shows the basic expression of missing someone.Tatoeba #6055110 by verdakoro, translation #6055899 by sergiomelo
- Tu me manques déjà.I miss you already.This sentence 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 demonstrates addressing a specific person by name using the form tu me manques.Tatoeba #7815585 by Rockaround, translation #1887572 by CK
- Votre absence est vraiment ressentie au bureau. Vous nous manquez beaucoup.Dear Mr. Durand, Your absence is truly felt at the office. We miss you dearly.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are talking on the phone after a long trip.
- LucasTu me manques beaucoup, Léa.I miss you a lot, Léa.
- LéaMoi aussi, tu me manques.Me too, I miss you.
- LucasJe reviens très bientôt.I am coming back very soon.
- LéaJ'ai hâte de te voir.I can't wait to see you.
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.
