μου έλειψες
mou eleipses
In Greek, "I missed you" is expressed as μου έλειψες (mou eleipses).
This phrase is used to tell someone that you felt their absence and wanted to see them again.
Which one should you use?
In English, "I" is the subject of the sentence, but in the Greek phrase μου έλειψες, the person being missed is the grammatical subject and "I" is the indirect object.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form μου έλειψες is used when speaking to one person in an informal or singular context. To say "I missed you" to a group of people or to one person using the formal/polite register, you use μου λείψατε. If you wish to say "I missed you a lot", the standard way is to add the word πολύ to the end of the phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
mou eleipses
Did you know?
- The verb used in μου έλειψες can also be used to describe a missing tooth or a lost piece of a puzzle.
- Greek has a specific way of intensifying this phrase using πολύ but in very emotional contexts, speakers may say μου έλειψες τρελά, which literally means 'I missed you crazily'.
- While μου έλειψες is the standard way to say 'I missed you', the verb λείπω also means 'to be absent' or 'to be missing'. In a classroom, a teacher uses this same root to take attendance and mark who is absent.
Examples in context
- Μου έλειψες.I missed you.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase μου έλειψες.Tatoeba #5584625 by Zeus, translation #407574 by Scott
- Μου έλειψες πολύ αυτό το καλοκαίρι.Mou elipses poli afto to kalokairi.I missed you a lot this summer.
- Μου έλειψες και δεν ήξερα γιατί.Mou elipses kai den ixera yiati.I missed you and I didn't know why.
Example conversation
Maria and Nikos are meeting at the airport after a long time apart.
- Μαρία MariaΚαλώς ήρθες, μου έλειψες πολύ!Kalos irthes, mou elipses poli!Welcome back, I missed you so much!
- Νίκος NikosΕπίσης, Μαρία, και εσένα πολύ.Episis, Maria, kai esena poli.Likewise, Maria, I missed you a lot too.
- Μαρία MariaΉσουν τόσο μακριά.Isoun toso makria.You were so far away.
- Νίκος NikosΤώρα τελείωσε η αναμονή.Tora teleiose i anamoni.Now the waiting is over.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
