jemand fehlt dir
The phrase "you miss someone" in German is expressed as jemand fehlt dir.
This phrase is used to express that you feel sadness because a person you care about is not with you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The construction jemand fehlt dir literally means "someone is missing to you." German uses the dative case for the person who is experiencing the feeling, making them the recipient of the feeling. To say "I miss someone," you change the dative pronoun from dir (to you) to mir (to me), resulting in jemand fehlt mir.
Did you know?
- The word fehlen is used for everything from a missing tooth to a missing number in a sequence. In this context, the person you miss is treated grammatically as a missing object or part of a whole.
- The pronoun dir comes from the same Proto-West Germanic root as the English 'thee'. While 'thee' is archaic in English, dir remains a fundamental part of daily German-speaking life.
- Unlike English, where 'I' is the subject who does the missing, in jemand fehlt mir the person being missed is the subject. The person feeling the sadness is simply the recipient of the absence.
Examples in context
- Sehr geehrter Herr Schmidt, ich vermisse Sie und Ihre Ratschläge in unserem Team.Dear Mr. Schmidt, I miss you and your advice in our team.
- Bei unseren Konferenzen vermisse ich Ihre Anwesenheit. Sie bringen immer wertvolle Perspektiven ein.I miss your presence at our conferences. You always bring valuable perspectives.
- Hey Lisa, ich vermisse dich so sehr! Komm bitte bald zurück.Hey Lisa, I miss you so much! Please come back soon.
- Seit du weg bist, geht es mir nicht gut. Du fehlst mir wirklich.I haven't been feeling well since you left. I really miss you.
- Es ist komisch ohne dich. Es ist, als ob ein Teil von mir fehlt.It's strange without you. It's as if a part of me is missing.
- Jemand fehlt dir sehr, oder?You miss someone a lot, don't you?
Example conversation
Laura and Felix are talking about family.
- LauraFelix, sieht man dir an, dass jemand fehlt dir.Felix, I can tell that you miss someone.
- FelixJa, mein Bruder wohnt jetzt in Japan.Yes, my brother lives in Japan now.
- LauraWann hast du ihn das letzte Mal gesehen?When was the last time you saw him?
- FelixDas war leider schon vor zwei Jahren.That was unfortunately two years ago.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dir, jemand, CC BY-SA 4.0.
