я скучал по тебе
ya skuchal po tebe
In Russian, "I missed you" is expressed as я скучал по тебе (ya skuchal po tebe).
This phrase is used to tell someone that you felt sadness or longing because they were not with you.
Which one should you use?
The default form я скучал по тебе assumes the speaker is male. A female speaker must use я скучала по тебе. To say 'I missed you' to more than one person or to use the formal 'you', change 'тебе' to 'вам'. To express the present tense 'I miss you' (ongoing feeling), use the imperfective form 'скучаю' instead of the past tense 'скучал'.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker is female, the verb must change from the masculine скучал to the feminine скучала. To address a group of people or to use the formal version of "you", change тебе to вам. For the present tense "I miss you", use скучаю instead of the past tense скучал.
How do you pronounce it?
ya skuchal po tebe
Did you know?
- While я скучал по тебе is common, Russians may also say мне тебя не хватало, which literally translates to 'you were not enough for me' or 'I lacked you'.
- The verb скучать has a very physical origin, meaning 'to feel bored' or 'to be weary', which shifted over time to describe the heavy, weary feeling of longing for someone.
- If a speaker is talking about missing a person who has passed away, they might use the word тосковать instead of скучать to convey a deeper, more existential ache.
Examples in context
- Я скучал по тебе и Тому.I missed you and Tom.This sentence shows how to include another person in the phrase using я скучал по тебе.Tatoeba #8427300 by Smoky, translation #8426895 by CK
- Я скучал по тебе всё это время.I missed you for all this time.This sentence uses я скучал по тебе to describe a duration of time.Tatoeba #3868134 by marafon, translation #2849580 by Dejo
- Я скучал по тебе.I missed you.This sentence provides a simple way to say я скучал по тебе.Tatoeba #667004 by olgakom, translation #407574 by Scott
Example conversation
Sergey returns home after a long business trip.
- Сергей SergeyПривет, Настя! Я наконец-то дома.Privet, Nastya! Ya nakonets-to doma.Hi, Nastya! I am finally home.
- Анастасия AnastasiaПривет! Я очень скучала по тебе.Privet! Ya ochen skuchala po tebe.Hi! I missed you very much.
- Сергей SergeyЯ тоже. Я скучал по тебе каждый день.Ya tozhe. Ya skuchal po tebe kazhdyy den.Me too. I missed you every day.
- Анастасия AnastasiaЯ так рада, что ты вернулся!Ya tak rada, chto ty vernulsya!I am so glad you are back!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
