extrañas a alguien
/eɡstɾaɲas a alɡjen/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'you miss someone' is translated into Spanish as extrañas a alguien.
The phrase is used to express the feeling of sadness caused by being apart from a person you care about.
Which one should you use?
While extrañar is common in Latin America, echar de menos is the more common way to express missing someone in Spain.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The use of extrañar is particularly common in Latin America.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form extrañas is the second-person singular informal (tú) conjugation. The verb 'extrañar' requires the personal 'a' before the person being missed, as seen in extrañar a alguien. This phrase is also frequently used in the first person as te extraño to mean 'I miss you'.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɡstɾaɲas a alɡjen/
Did you know?
- In Spain, the phrase echar de menos is used instead of extrañar. It literally translates to 'throwing from less' or 'casting from less'.
- While extrañar means 'to miss' in Latin America, in Spain it more commonly means 'to find something strange' or 'to be surprised by something'.
- The word alguien is a linguistic blend that likely evolved from the word for 'some' and the word for 'who'.
Examples in context
- mi amor, te echo de menosMy love, I miss you
- Sr. García, echo de menos su presencia en nuestras reuniones. Espero que esté bien.Mr. García, I miss your presence in our meetings. I hope you are well.
- Hermano, te echo de menos. No es lo mismo sin ti aquí.Brother, I miss you. It's not the same without you here.
- Mi vida, te extraño. Quiero tenerte cerca de nuevo.My love, I miss you. I want to have you close again.
- Extrañas a alguien mucho.You miss someone a lot.
- Sé que extrañas a alguien.I know you miss someone.
- Extrañas a alguien de tu pasado.You miss someone from your past.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking about living abroad.
- JavierLucía, ¿extrañas a alguien de tu ciudad?Lucía, do you miss someone from your city?
- LucíaSí, extraño mucho a mi mejor amiga.Yes, I miss my best friend a lot.
- JavierTe entiendo, yo también me siento así.I understand, I feel that way too.
- LucíaEs difícil estar lejos de los seres queridos.It is hard to be far from loved ones.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, alguien, extrañas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
