I miss you in Italian is Mi manchi (mee MAHN-kee), said to someone you call tu. Italian builds it the other way round: literally "you are missing to me". Add tanto for "so much": Mi manchi tanto. To a group, say Mi mancate. The usual reply is Anche tu mi manchi, I miss you too.
- I miss you
- Mi manchi
- I miss you so much
- Mi manchi tanto
- I missed you
- Mi sei mancato / mancata
- I miss you too
- Anche tu mi manchi
- Level
- A1
Why is mi manchi back to front?
The verb mancare means to be missing or lacking. The person or thing you miss is the subject, and you are the indirect object: mi (to me), ti (to you), gli (to him), le (to her), ci (to us). So the verb ending follows what is missed, not who is doing the missing.
| Italian | Word for word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Mi manchi. | To me you are missing. | I miss you. |
| Ti manco? | To you am I missing? | Do you miss me? |
| Ci manchi. | To us you are missing. | We miss you. |
| Mi manca Roma. | To me Rome is missing. | I miss Rome. |
| Mi mancano i miei amici. | To me my friends are missing. | I miss my friends. |
| Gli manca sua madre. | To him his mother is missing. | He misses his mother. |
Once the pattern clicks, the plural is easy: one thing missed takes manca, several take mancano. It is the same shape as mi piace (I like it) and mi piacciono (I like them).
How do you say I miss you so much?
Italians add warmth with an adverb after the verb. None of these is only romantic: grandparents, friends and siblings use them too.
| Italian | English | Who to and how it feels |
|---|---|---|
| Mi manchi. | I miss you. | Anyone you call tu |
| Mi manchi tanto. | I miss you so much. | Partners, family, close friends |
| Mi manchi tantissimo. | I miss you terribly. | Stronger still |
| Mi manchi da morire. | I miss you like crazy (lit. to death). | Informal and emotional |
| Mi mancate. | I miss you all. | A group (voi) |
| Ci manca molto. | We miss you very much. | Someone you address as Lei, such as a retired teacher |
| Sento la tua mancanza. | I feel your absence. | Heartfelt; more common in writing |
| Mi sei mancato. / Mi sei mancata. | I missed you. | Greeting someone back; -o to a man, -a to a woman |
How do you reply when someone says mi manchi?
Keep the same structure and add anche (also). The person you are talking to stays the subject, so the verb stays manchi.
Anche tu mi manchi.
I miss you too.
Mi manchi anche tu.
I miss you too.
Same meaning, with the stress on you.
Anche voi mi mancate!
I miss you all too!
Non vedo l'ora di vederti.
I can't wait to see you.
Quando torni?
When are you coming back?
English speakers often answer Anch'io, copying "me too". The tidier reply is Anche tu, "you too", because in mi manchi the one being missed is you.
What else does mancare mean?
Outside feelings, mancare simply means something is absent or still needed. You will meet it in shops, kitchens and timetables:
Manca il sale.
It needs salt. / The salt is missing.
Mancano cinque minuti.
There are five minutes to go.
Mi manca una pagina.
I'm missing a page.
In a Contos B2 drama, a director checks the cast list before a read-through at a TV studio, and one actor has not turned up:
Manca ancora Marco.One trap: missing a train, a bus or a flight is perdere, not mancare. Ho perso il treno means I missed the train. For homesickness, Italians say ho nostalgia di casa or simply mi manca casa.
Read A1 Italian stories and tap any word, from mi manchi to nostalgia, to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce mi manchi?
Say "mee MAHN-kee". In Italian, ch before i or e is a hard k sound, never the ch of "church". The stress falls on the first syllable of manchi.
How do you say I missed you in Italian?
Mi sei mancato to a man, mi sei mancata to a woman. The past tense of mancare uses essere, so the ending agrees with the person who was missed. To a group: mi siete mancati.
Is mi manchi only romantic?
No. Italians say it to friends, parents, grandchildren and old colleagues. The tone comes from context and from what you add: mi manchi da morire is far more intense than a plain mi manchi in a text to a friend.
How do you say I miss Italy in Italian?
Mi manca l'Italia, or ho nostalgia dell'Italia. Use mancare for anything you miss, and nostalgia when you mean a longing for a place or a time.