Manquer is a highly versatile French regular ER verb with several meanings including to miss and to lack.
Manquer
to miss, to lack
Example sentences
One of the most common usages of manquer is “to miss” as in missing a person or place. For these first three example sentences, the person or thing that you are missing is the subject of the sentence.
Tu me manques. Vous me manquez.
I miss you. (singular informal + plural/formal forms)
Mon ami me manque.
I miss my friend.
Paris me manque.
I miss Paris.
Manquer de + noun means “to lack”. Another example sentence here could be “La soupe manque du sel” (the soup lacks salt).
Je manque d’énergie. Je suis très fatigué.
I lack energy. I am tired.
Manquer à + noun can translate “to not respect” or “fail to keep”.
Le sénateur manque à ses promesses.
The senator fails to keep his promises.
For this sentence, manquer means “to miss” as in missing a train or bus. Synonym verbs here could be rater or louper.
Zut ! On a manqué le train !
Shoot! We missed the train!
More useful verb lessons
Reference
Word of the Day | Lessons by David Issokson
