Me haces falta

[PSIONMAN]

My dictionary says that 'Me haces falta' means I miss you, or I need you

Can someone please help me get my mind around this It seems that you are the subject and I am the object. What is going on?

 

[Rayines]

Sí, psionman, la oración es: Tú me haces falta.

Tú: sujeto.
Me: objeto indirecto (= a mí)
haces falta= faltas.

Es como si dijera: Tú me faltas (de estar ausente) a mí. = Te extraño.

 

[PSIONMAN]

Sí, psionman, la oración es: Tú me haces falta.

Tú: sujeto.
Me: objeto indirecto (= a mí)
haces falta= faltas.

Es como si dijera: Tú me faltas (de estar ausente) a mí. = Te extraño.

Gracias Rayines

I think I've got it now. It means something like 'You make a lack in me' (I know that's not good English). I was trying to get inside the Spanish Mind and see how they saw the sentence

Like 'me gusta', these contructions are a challenge to learners, but one that I relish, because it opens a whole new way of seeing the world. One of the joys of learning Spanish

 

[charmedboi82]

Gracias Rayines

I think I've got it now. It means something like 'You make a lack in me' (I know that's not good English). I was trying to get inside the Spanish Mind and see how they saw the sentence

Like 'me gusta', these contructions are a challenge to learners, but one that I relish, because it opens a whole new way of seeing the world. One of the joys of learning Spanish

Yes, that's what it means. "You're lacking to me" or "You're at a lack to/for/of me" is what it means even if they sound a bit strange and could mean something else in English (the translation). I sort of prefer the Spanish version.

 

[Aurora Boreal]

Hola,

I have to admit I am confused. I was looking up the same phrase "Me haces falta." and found this thread. I don't understand why my boyfriend would say this to me if he is meaning to say in English "You're lacking to me." That is not possible in English or not understood as good English. Can someone help me to understand what is meant by someone saying (me haces falta)?

The Spanish version sounds much better I agree. However what meaning is it meant to have?
Gracias

 

[Outsider]

Aurora, the Spanish phrase that means "I miss you" has a completely different syntactic structure than the English phrase. You cannot translate the English phrase word for word. Instead of saying that the "misser" misses the "missed", it states that the "missed" is missed by the "misser".
I hope his makes it clear for you.

 

[Fonεtiks]

Very good, just like "me parece = It seems to me..." these constructions have a subject that is understood "It" and the indirect object is dative "me".

Me interesa = It interests me
Me fascina = It fascinates me
Me hace falta = It makes lack to me (I know they're terrible translations, but that's what they mean literally)

Some Spanish speakers who are learning English have the opposite problem: instead of saying "I like it" they say "It likes me".

 

[Outsider]

Me hace falta = It makes lack to me (I know they're terrible translations, but that's what they mean literally)

Maybe one could say that "Me haces falta" is "You are lacking to me", but this still sounds awful in English.

 

[Aurora Boreal]

It makes more sense the more I think about it.


Lacking = Missing in English


Therefore I would understand it as he is the one missing and I am the one being missed? However maybe it will be clearer if I write the entire phrase.


Complete text as written... "Hola mi amor. Me haces falta."


Question... Is he missing me or am I missing him. This is where I get confused.

 

[Outsider]

"Me haces falta": "I miss you".
"Te hago falta": "You miss me".

Another cause for confusion is that the personal pronouns appear in different parts of the sentence, in the two languages.

 

[gian_eagle]

y que tal (aunque quizás no es un significado exacto)

"I regret not being with you."

 

[Pedro P. Calvo Morcillo]

I think that a good translation for: me haces falta, would be: I need you, since you need what you lack.

 

[charmedboi82]

I think that a good translation for: me haces falta, would be: I need you, since you need what you lack.

I agree, I need (to be with) you, is a much better translation. 'Me HACES falta' is very distinct from 'me faltas'. I believe you're correct; the first one expresses a lack of your presence and the desire to feel it whereas the second really only expresses the lack of presence.

 

[GWsharkgrl]

And would this phrase be something we would say more to a lover than a friend?

 

[noncasper]

i think it's used for lover only "You make me miss u"

 

[GWsharkgrl]

alrighty, i'll stick to te extraño then. one more question te echo de menos means i'll miss you as well right? can this be said to anybody?

 

[LaReinita]

alrighty, i'll stick to te extraño then. one more question te echo de menos means i'll miss you as well right? can this be said to anybody?

Yes, it also means I miss you and yes, you can say it to anyone; however, I think it's more common in Mexico than anywhere else, but it would definitely be understood.

 

[roomtodance]

I'm in Colombia and I have heard the phrase used a lot here, too.

 

[mlourdes]

i think it's used for lover only "You make me miss u"

No, you can use it with anyone. friends, family, etc. Example, I can feel that a friend "me hace falta" because she moved far away from me and I miss her terribly... I can tell her "me haces falta, extrano mucho conversar contigo"...

 

[Prof. scott]

it does mean i miss you, that is how it is used, the literal translation being you cause a "lack" in me, as in some part missing, it's not neccesarily "you" but more the fact that you are gone, though the sintaxis does not reflect this, it is an easier way to understand for an english speaker. me falta= i lack, ie i lack milk, i lack a car, used as(or in other words we say) "i don't have" me haces falta, hacer=to make, haces=you make me haces=you make me[somthing](though used differently, not make)

can also be thought of as "you make me lack" since the "hole" in me, is caused by your absence. though it is not putting any degree of "blame" on the other person.

"si un dia me faltas" is more like "if one day you leave me" (as in are gone) but also can be used to tie in that idea of missing you. but i believe that hacer falta is more direct and appropriate. [as used in man on fires closing song, una palabra, by carlos varela, "si un dia me faltas no sere nada" if one day you leave me, (or are gone, ect...) i will be nothing

any opinions? this is an interesting question, i'll have to hit up the davies spanish corpus and see what i can find.

 

[Cid2065]

I think, perhaps, there is a more simple explanation than trying to translate the sentence with "lack of me" or something.

There are two voices in English and Spanish, active and passive. Spanish, although the examples in this discussion are active constructions are passive in meaning. Examples (in English):

Active voice: I like the ball.
Passive voice: The ball is liked by me.

The direct object of the sentence in the active voice becomes the subject (the do-er) of the action when in passive voice. Thus although the Spanish has an active set up, it is better to translate it passively.

This particular statement: "Tu me haces falta" has a passive meaning when translated.

Tu me haces falta = You are missed by me.
Me gusta la frutilla= The strawberry is liked by me
Se accepta visa? = Is visa accepted (by him/it/you)?
One more for fun... El nos hace falta = He is missed by us.

Of course, it would be better to look at this in context rather than resorting to the method of translation, a rather poor way of learning.
Situation:
Say that Bob has a brother, Sam, that he has not seen in 2 years, and he is talking on the phone with Sam about the visit they are planning. At the end of the conversation, Bob says:
"Sam, (tu) me haces falta!" and the conversation ends.

So, Sam le hace falta, where le=Bob. Does this make sense?

 

[spanishdaniel]

The most similar and usual expression would be "I need you", cause in spanish "hacer falta" means literally "necesitar" (to need).

I don't think "me haces falta" means something like "you left a hole on me".

Keep in mind that spanish always is trying to become the hardest, but english usually takes the easiest way. When spanish people we study english, we find out that there are a lot of idioms and verbal locs. that can be said much easier in english.

Hope it helps, and please forgive my poor english...I just wanted you to keep in mind that weird expressions in spanish automatically get simple in english

 

[Ynez]

My opinion about some of the comments made in this thread:

I agree with those who say the best translation for "Me haces falta" is "I need you". In principle, I see it as something very romantic to say, but it can also be used in other contexts; for example, mother calling daughter:

María, me haces falta en la cocina

(probably to help clean or cook something)



Echar de menos is the normal way to say "miss" (with the meaning of "I want to see you") in Spain: Te echo de menos. We only hear "extrañar" with this meaning in American songs (Te extraño).

 

[Msguzzie]

It makes more sense the more I think about it.


Lacking = Missing in English


Therefore I would understand it as he is the one missing and I am the one being missed? However maybe it will be clearer if I write the entire phrase.


Complete text as written... "Hola mi amor. Me haces falta."


Question... Is he missing me or am I missing him. This is where I get confused.

Me haces falta : you are missing to/from me

Thats how I think of it. You are missing from me. Giving the implied meaning that I miss you...since you're "missing" (not here).

But to answer, haces is the second person singular conjugation of the verb hacer. So it says that you are missing (haces falta) from me (me) Except in Spanish, the structure is different so we put the "me" in front.

 

[dnisanchez86]

In English when someone says "I miss you" it means that the person receiving the message is not there with the person giving it; the person giving it wants the person there, next to them (of course people use it all the time with the person present as well). Therefore the person "needs" the other person because he is absent from their presence. In Spanish the word "falta" means "to lack", "missing from" or in other words "to be absent from". So when someone recognizes that they are absent from another person ultimately they are needing that person or "in need" of them. The way that I translated this frase to my now wife was "I am in need of you" instead of "I need you" which has a deeper/stronger meaning since "I need you" is temporary and "I am in need of you" is a consistent on-going thing.

 

[chacahua]

however, I think it's more common in Mexico than anywhere else,

"Extrañar" is definitely more common in Mexico. "Echar de menos" is of course universal, as you say, but the "default" form in Mexico is "extrañar." (At least among the 'non-PhD' sorts whom I run around with!)

"Echar de menos" is the default in Spain, I think. Don't know about other regions.