German word

vermissen

Pronunciation

IPA/fɛɐ̯ˈmɪsn̩/

Meaning

  • verbmiss

Example

Ich vermisse dich sehr.

I miss you very much.

Illustration for vermissen (miss)

More examples

Nach Jahren im Ausland vermisst er oft seine Kindheit.

After spending years abroad, he often misses his childhood.

Core concept

Someone notices that a familiar person or thing is gone and feels its absence as longing.

Common phrases

  • seine Kindheit vermissen

    miss his childhood

  • die Familie vermissen

    miss the family

  • die gemeinsame Zeit vermissen

    miss the time they spent together

Similar words

fehlen: To feel lonely or incomplete because a person or thing is not present.
sich sehnen: To long deeply for someone far away or for a past time.
verpassen: To fail to attend or experience something by not arriving in time.

Definition in German

bei Abwesenheit einer Person oder Sache eine Leere oder ein Verlangen verspüren

Word origin

The verb comes from Middle High German vermissen and contains missen, an old Germanic word for lacking something.

Usage tips

  • The person or thing being missed is the accusative object, so Ich vermisse dich uses dich rather than dir.

Other meanings

  • long forverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Vermisstemissing personnoun
  • vermisstmissingadjective
  • das Vermissenlongingnoun

Word lists with this word