Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| ich vermisse dich |
| du fehlst mir |
You can express the feeling of missing someone using either ich vermisse dich or du fehlst mir. While both translate to "I miss you," the latter is often perceived as more emotional or profound in many contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase du fehlst mir literally translates to "you are missing to me," where fehlen means to be lacking or missing.
Which one should you use?
ich vermisse dich focuses on the action of the speaker missing the other person, whereas du fehlst mir focuses on the person being "missing" or "lacking" from the speaker's life.
How does it change in a sentence?
In ich vermisse dich, the person feeling the loss is the subject (nominative ich) and the person being missed is the direct object (accusative dich). In du fehlst mir, the person being missed is the subject (nominative du) and the person feeling the loss is the indirect object (dative mir).
Did you know?
- Unlike English, which uses 'miss' for both people and transport, the verb vermissen cannot be used to say you missed your bus.
- The verb fehlen is used for both emotional longing and the physical absence of a thing, such as a missing button on a shirt.
- While ich vermisse dich is common, du fehlst mir is often used in mourning or when someone has passed away because it describes a permanent void.
Examples in context
- Du fehlst mir sehr.I miss you badly.This sentence is useful for expressing that you miss someone badly using the form du fehlst mir.Tatoeba #527924 by Manfredo, translation #18051 by Zifre
- Du fehlst mir auch.I miss you, too.This sentence is useful for expressing that you miss someone too using the form du fehlst mir.Tatoeba #6643907 by Felixjp, translation #3819144 by CK
- Ich vermisse dich sehr.I miss you very much.This sentence is useful for expressing that you miss someone very much using the form ich vermisse dich.Tatoeba #607221 by virgil, translation #18053 by CK
- Sehr geehrter Herr Müller, ich vermisse Sie in unserem Team.Dear Mr. Müller, I miss you in our team.
- Hey Lisa, ich vermisse dich schon so sehr!Hey Lisa, I miss you so much!
- Lukas, du fehlst mir. Wann sehen wir uns wieder?Lukas, I miss you. When will we see each other again?
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are talking on the phone late at night.
- FelixHallo Julia, ich vermisse dich.Hello Julia, I miss you.
- JuliaOh Felix, ich vermisse dich auch.Oh Felix, I miss you too.
- FelixWann sehen wir uns wieder?When will we see each other again?
- JuliaSchon nächste Woche.Already next week.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I miss you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
