Mi manchi means “I miss you” in Italian. It is pronounced mee MAHN-kee, and it literally says “you are missing to me”, which is why the sentence looks backwards to English speakers.
How to Say “I Miss you” in Italian
Quick Answer
In Italian, the phrase “I miss you” is expressed as Mi manchi.
Mi manchi.
I miss you.
A typical answer is:
Anche tu.
Me too.
Some grammar notes are needed as the sentence structure is different from English.
The Grammar of I Miss You in Italian
Here’s a breakdown of the grammar involved:
- Mi: This is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to me.” It indicates the person who is experiencing the action.
- Manchi: This is the second person singular form of the verb “mancare,” which means “to be missing” or “to be lacking.”
Unlike English, where the subject is the person doing the missing, in Italian, the subject is the person who is missed. So, “Mi manchi” literally translates to “You are missing to me.”
Examples
Mi manca il mio cane.
I miss my dog.
Breakdown: “My dog is missing to me.”
Mi mancano i miei amici.
I miss my friends.
Breakdown: “My friends are missing to me.”
Note: Here, “mancano” is used because “amici” (friends) is plural.
Mi Manchi, Mi Mancate, Ci Manchi: Which Form to Use
The verb changes with the person or thing you miss, and the pronoun changes with who is doing the missing:
| Italian | English |
| Mi manchi. | I miss you (one person). |
| Mi mancate. | I miss you (more than one person). |
| Ci manchi. | We miss you. |
| Mi manca la mia famiglia. | I miss my family. |
| Mi sei mancato / Mi sei mancata. | I missed you (said to a man / a woman, for example when you meet again). |
| Ti manco. | You miss me. |
The last row is the most common mistake: ti manco does not mean “I miss you”. It means “you miss me”. To say “I miss you”, the person you miss always comes before the verb: tu mi manchi.
Suggested Responses
When someone tells you Mi manchi here are some appropriate responses:
Anche a me manchi.
I miss you too.
This mirrors the structure of the initial phrase, with a me (“to me”) for emphasis. Don’t say anch’io ti manco: it means “you miss me too”, the opposite of what you want to say.
Non vedo l’ora di vederti.
I can’t wait to see you.
Mi manchi tanto.
I miss you a lot.
Anche tu mi manchi.
I miss you too.
The Difference Between English and Italian
If you ever go to Italy and go back to your country, you’ll probably miss the food, weather, nightlife, coffee, and perhaps, your new Italian friends. Today, you will learn how to express this feeling in Italian.
The very first thing you have to keep in mind when learning the verb mancare is that its syntactical structure is very different from English, just like for the verbs piacere (to like), and servire (to need), and sembrare (to seem).
In English, the person who likes, needs, or misses someone or something is the subject of the sentence, and the liked, needed, or missed object or person is the direct object of the sentence.
In Italian it is the opposite: the liked, needed, or missed object or person is the subject of the sentence, while the person who likes, needs, or misses someone or something is the indirect object.
This means that you need either an indirect pronoun or the preposition a to introduce the object. For instance:
Tu mi manchi.
I miss you.
Here, “you” is the subject of the verb mancare and mi is the indirect pronoun, namely the pronoun me introduced by the preposition a. In fact, you could also say a me manchi molto which translates in the same way.
How to Say “I Miss You Too”
When someone tells you they miss you, it’s only natural to reply “I miss you too”. In Italian, this “I miss you too” translates to anche tu mi manchi. This time, you can’t omit the subject, as the word anche (too) requires a pronoun or an object.
When put together, “anche tu mi manchi” literally translates to “also you are missed by me”, which is the idiomatic way to express “I miss you too” in Italian.
Other Ways to Say “I Miss You” in Italian
Mi manchi is stronger than the everyday English “I miss you”. Italians say it to a partner, a parent, a sibling or a close friend, and less often to a colleague or an acquaintance. You can make it warmer or stronger like this:
- Mi manchi tanto. / Mi manchi tantissimo. – I miss you a lot. / I miss you so much.
- Mi manchi già. – I miss you already.
- Mi manchi da morire. – I miss you like crazy (literally “to death”). Informal and very affectionate.
- Mi manchi, amore mio. – I miss you, my love.
- Sento la tua mancanza. – I miss you. (more formal and a little literary)
For an acquaintance you haven’t seen in a while, a lighter option is è da un po’ che non ci vediamo (it’s been a while since we saw each other). If you want to tell someone you love them, see my guides on how to say “I love you” in Italian and on ti voglio bene.
Missing a Bus or a Train Is a Different Verb
Mancare is for missing a person or a thing you long for. To miss a bus, a train or a flight, Italian uses perdere (to lose):
Ho perso il treno.
I missed the train.
“Te Extraño” and “Te Echo de Menos” in Italian
If you are a Spanish speaker, te extraño and te echo de menos both translate to mi manchi in Italian. Remember that the Italian sentence is built the other way round: the person you miss is the one who does the “missing”.
