я суму́ю за тобо́ю
ja sumúju za tobóju
The phrase "i miss you" in Ukrainian is expressed as я суму́ю за тобо́ю (ja sumúju za tobóju).
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase я сумую за тобою literally translates to "I am grieving/feeling sorrow for you".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase я суму́ю за тобо́ю, the word тобою is the instrumental case of ти, used for addressing one person informally. To modify the phrase for different people, you can replace тобою with other pronouns: use ним to say "I miss him" (я сумую за ним) or нею to say "I miss her" (я сумую за нею). Additionally, the masculine form of the verb used in these expressions is скучив and the feminine form is скучила.
How do you pronounce it?
ja sumúju za tobóju
Did you know?
- In very informal or regional speech, Ukrainians might use the word бракує to say they miss someone, which literally means the person is 'lacking' or 'missing' from the environment.
- Ukrainian has a specific word туга to describe the deep, aching longing or melancholy that accompanies missing someone, a feeling that 'missing' in English cannot fully capture.
- In romantic poetry and songs, the phrase я сумую is often paired with references to the wind or autumn, as these are traditional Ukrainian cultural symbols for loneliness and longing.
Examples in context
- Українська мова дуже красива. Я сумую за вами, коли ви відсутні.The Ukrainian language is very beautiful. I miss you when you're not around.
- Рідне місто так сумне без вас. Я скучаю за вами дуже.The hometown is so sad without you. I miss you a lot.
Example conversation
Maria and Serhii are talking on the phone.
- Марія MariiaПривіт, Сергію! Я суму́ю за тобо́ю.Pryvit, Serhiyu! Ya sumuyu za toboyu.Hi, Serhii! I miss you.
- Сергій SerhiiПривіт, Маріє! Я теж сумую за тобою.Pryvit, Mariye! Ya tezh sumuyu za toboyu.Hi, Maria! I miss you too.
- Марія MariiaКоли ти повернешся додому?Koly ty poverneshsha domodu?When are you coming home?
- Сергій SerhiiЯ приїду вже наступного тижня.Ya pryyidu vzhe nastupnoho tyzhnya.I will arrive next week.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i miss you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
