te extraño
/te eɡstɾaɲo/from spelling rules
To say "I miss you" in Spanish, you can use te extraño or te echo de menos.
Meaning: I miss you (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| te echo de menos | /te ˌet͡ʃo de ˈmenos/ |
| te extraño | /te eɡstɾaɲo/ (from spelling rules) |
Both te extraño and te echo de menos are used to express that you miss someone. In Spain, you might also use the variation te echo de menos a ti to add emphasis to the specific person you are missing.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te echo de menos literally translates to "I throw you of less".
Which one should you use?
te extraño is the standard way to express this in Latin America, while te echo de menos is the standard way to express it in Spain.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Te echo de menos is commonly used in Spain.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase te extraño, the verb extrañar is conjugated in the first person singular present tense to mean "I miss". In the phrase te echo de menos, the expression uses the first person singular present tense of the verb echar.
How do you pronounce it?
/te eɡstɾaɲo/
Did you know?
- The verb echar in te echo de menos is the same verb used to say 'to fire someone' from a job.
- In Spanish, you can say me haces falta, which literally means 'you are lacking to me', as a heartfelt way to say 'I miss you'.
- While te extraño is used for people, it can also mean 'I find you strange' depending on the context.
Examples in context
- Te echo de menos.I miss you.This sentence shows how to use te echo de menos.Tatoeba #454574 by Shishir, translation #1308 by brauliobezerra
- Tom, te echo de menos.I miss you, Tom.This sentence shows how to use te echo de menos with a name.Tatoeba #2011041 by Shishir, translation #1887572 by CK
- Te extraño cuando no estás acá.I miss you when you're not here.This sentence shows how to use te extraño.Tatoeba #1646718 by hayastan, translation #1329779 by CK
- ¡Hola amiga! Te extraño mucho.Hi friend! I miss you so much.
- ¡Hola cariño! Te echo de menos a ti.Hi honey! I miss you.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are talking on a video call.
- LucíaHola, Alejandro. Te extraño mucho.Hello, Alejandro. I miss you a lot.
- AlejandroYo también te extraño, Lucía.I miss you too, Lucía.
- Lucía¿Cuándo vas a volver?When are you coming back?
- AlejandroPronto estaré contigo.I will be with you soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “i miss you” translations and entries te echo de menos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
