Te extrañé
/te eɡstɾaɲe/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'missed you' is translated into Spanish as Te extrañé.
Te extrañé is used to express that you missed someone. The verb extrañé comes from the verb extrañar, which literally means 'to make strange' or 'to find strange', but in this context, it means 'to miss'.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase Te extrañé, the word extrañé comes from the verb extrañar, which literally means 'to make strange' or 'to find strange'.
Which one should you use?
While Te extrañé is common in Latin America, in Spain, Te eché de menos is the more frequent way to say 'I missed you'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Te extrañé is a widely used phrase in Mexico.
How does it change in a sentence?
Te extrañé uses the preterite tense, which implies a completed period of time in the past. If you want to say you 'were missing' someone to imply an ongoing state in the past rather than a specific completed event, use the imperfect tense Te extrañaba. To say 'I missed you' to someone you address formally, replace 'Te' with 'Lo' (masculine) or 'La' (feminine).
How do you pronounce it?
/te eɡstɾaɲe/
Did you know?
- The phrase Te eché de menos is an idiom where echar means 'to throw' or 'to cast', though the action of throwing is not actually happening.
- Spanish speakers might use the verb añorar to express a deeper, more nostalgic type of 'missing' that is often linked to a place or a lost era.
- The verb in Te extrañé is an 'odd cousin' to the English word 'extraordinary', as both share roots related to something being 'strange' or 'out of the ordinary'.
Examples in context
- Te extrañé mucho cuando estabas en Francia.I really missed you when you were in France.This sentence shows how to say you missed someone while they were in France using Te extrañé.Tatoeba #558609 by Leono, translation #436933 by lukaszpp
- Te extrañé.I missed you.This is a simple way to say 'I missed you' using Te extrañé.Tatoeba #4484502 by cueyayotl, translation #407574 by Scott
- ¡Te extrañé!I missed you!This uses an exclamation to say 'I missed you!' with Te extrañé.Tatoeba #1825657 by hayastan, translation #1078010 by keira_n
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía meet at a cafe after a long time apart.
- Javier¡Hola, Lucía! Te extrañé mucho.Hello, Lucía! I missed you a lot.
- LucíaYo también te extrañé, Javier.I missed you too, Javier.
- Javier¿Cómo ha estado tu vida?How has your life been?
- LucíaMuy bien, gracias por preguntar.Very well, thanks for asking.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
