Ways to say it
| Polish | Note |
|---|---|
| tęsknię za tobą | singular |
| brakuje mi ciebie | singular |
| tęsknię za wami | plural |
| brakuje mi was | plural |
There are two main ways to express this feeling. tęsknię za tobą is used to express a deep emotional longing or yearning for someone. brakuje mi ciebie is used to express that someone's absence is felt, literally meaning "you are lacking to me".
Which one should you use?
Use the singular forms tęsknię za tobą or brakuje mi ciebie when speaking to one person. Use the plural forms tęsknię za wami or brakuje mi was when speaking to a group of people.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
tęsknię za tobą is an informal way to say "I miss you". For a more formal way to say "I feel longing for you", you can use Odczuwam tęsknotę za tobą. In written correspondence, capitalizing the pronoun in Tęsknię za Tobą is a common way to show respect and affection to the recipient. You can also emphasize your feeling informally by saying Niezmiernie tęsknię za tobą to mean "I miss you deeply".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase brakuje mi ciebie, the person being missed is in the genitive case because the verb brakuje governs the genitive.
Did you know?
- The word za in tęsknię za tobą is a preposition that typically indicates location 'behind' or a goal 'for'.
- The word tęsknota represents a unique kind of longing that is so central to the Polish identity it is often a primary theme in the nation's romantic poetry and music.
- While 'tęsknię za tobą' implies a poetic or soulful yearning, 'brakuje mi ciebie' uses the verb 'brakować' which is more commonly used for missing physical objects, like a missing key or a missing ingredient in a recipe.
Examples in context
- Tęsknię za tobą. Chciałbym się z tobą zobaczyć. Mogę przyjść?I miss you. I need to see you. Could I come over?This sentence shows how to express a desire to see someone after saying you miss them.Tatoeba #966975 by zipangu, translation #953531 by CK
- Tęsknię za Tobą.I miss you.Tatoeba #502300 by mwgamera, translation #1308 by brauliobezerra
- Tęsknię za tobą gdy cię nie ma.I miss you when you're not here.This sentence shows the feeling of missing someone specifically when they are not present.Tatoeba #2705284 by Tutim, translation #1329779 by CK
- Tęsknię za tobą, kochanie.I miss you, darling.
- Tęsknię za tobą i nie mogę się doczekać, aż cię zobaczę.I miss you and I can't wait to see you.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Małgorzata and Krzysztof are talking on the phone late at night.
- MałgorzataCześć, kochanie. Tęsknię za tobą.Hi, honey. I miss you.
- KrzysztofJa też bardzo za tobą tęsknię.I miss you very much too.
- MałgorzataKiedy wrócisz do domu?When will you come home?
- KrzysztofJuż jutro rano.Tomorrow morning.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I miss you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
