English–German

“be missing” in German

German

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈfeːlən/

Example

Im Glas fehlt ein Keks.

One cookie is missing from the glass.

Illustration for fehlen (be missing)

How to say “be missing” in German

“Be missing” in German is fehlen.

A place, object, or person that should be present is missing, so the situation is incomplete.

Full entry for fehlen: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with fehlen

Er fehlt mir.

I miss him.

Tips for using fehlen

  • The absent item is the grammatical subject, so Ein Keks fehlt means that one biscuit is missing, while Ein Keks fehlt mir means that I miss one biscuit.

“be missing” in other languages