tē dēsīderō
To say "I miss you" in Latin, use tē dēsīderō.
The verb dēsīderāre means to long for someone or something that is absent, which is exactly the feeling of missing a person. Cicero's letters use it often for friends far away.
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
How does it change in a sentence?
tē is the accusative of tū. For several people say vōs dēsīderō. The noun dēsīderium means "longing", as in tuī dēsīderiō teneor, "I am held by longing for you".
Did you know?
- The English word "desire" comes, through French, from the same Latin verb dēsīderāre.
- A popular folk explanation links dēsīderāre to sīdus, "star", as if it meant to miss the stars, but the origin of the word is uncertain.
Example conversation
Two friends talking via letter.
- LuciaSalve, Quinte! Tē dēsīderō.Hello, Quintus! I miss you.
- QuintusEt ego tē dēsīderō, Lucia.And I miss you too, Lucia.
- LuciaQuando redibis?When will you return?
- QuintusMox redibo.I will return soon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries desum, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
