mi manchi
/mi ˈman.ki/
To say "miss you" in Italian, use mi manchi.
The phrase mi manchi is used to express that you feel sadness because someone is not with you. You can intensify this feeling by adding the adverb tanto to mean "a lot" (e.g., mi manchi tanto for "I miss you so much") or the adverb tantissimo to mean "very much".
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, mi manchi translates to "you are missing to me," where the person who is missed acts as the subject of the sentence.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the person being missed is the subject, the verb must change based on who you are missing and how many people they are. Use mi manchi when speaking to one person, mi mancate when speaking to a group of people and mi manca to say "I miss him/her/it". You may also use mi sei mancato/a to say "you have been missed by me".
How do you pronounce it?
/mi ˈman.ki/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying io ti manco to mean "I miss you". In Italian, this actually means "you miss me".
Did you know?
- In Italian, mancare is the same verb used to describe a 'missing' ingredient in a recipe or a 'missing' goal in a football match.
- The pronoun mi in this phrase originates from the Latin 'mihi', which functioned as a dative case to indicate 'to me'.
- If you are talking about missing a deadline or a train, you would not use mi manchi but rather perdere, meaning 'to lose'.
Examples in context
- Tu mi manchi già.I miss you already.This example shows how to say "I miss you already" using mi manchi.Tatoeba #3049985 by Guybrush88, translation #2280311 by CK
- Tu mi manchi, Tom.I miss you, Tom.This example shows how to address someone by name using mi manchi.Tatoeba #2001781 by Guybrush88, translation #1887572 by CK
- Oh, come mi manchi!Oh, how I miss you!This example shows how to add emphasis to the feeling using mi manchi.Tatoeba #11728357 by Guybrush88, translation #5716367 by zumley
- Caro Signor Rossi, mi manca la sua presenza nelle riunioni settimanali. Spero che tutto vada bene per lei.Dear Mr. Rossi, I miss your presence in the weekly meetings. I hope everything is going well for you.
- Ciao, amico! Mi manchi tanto. Non vedo l'ora di vederci presto.Hi, friend! I miss you so much. I can't wait to see you soon.
- Cara mamma, mi sei mancata tantissimo durante il mio viaggio. Non vedo l'ora di tornare a casa da te.Dear Mom, I have missed you so much during my trip. I can't wait to come back home to you.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A video call between a couple.
- AlessandroCiao Giulia, mi manchi tanto.Hi Giulia, I miss you so much.
- GiuliaAnche tu mi manchi, Alessandro.I miss you too, Alessandro.
- AlessandroNon vedo l'ora di vederti.I can't wait to see you.
- GiuliaTi mando un bacio.I'm sending you a kiss.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mi manchi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
