manquer

Senses

1. 1.

   to miss

   to fail to hit, catch, or attend something; to let an opportunity pass

2. 2.

   to lack

   to be without or in short supply of; to be missing

3. 3.

   to be missing

   to be absent or not present (used impersonally: *il manque*)

4. 4.

   to almost happen

   used with *de* or infinitive: to come close to doing or experiencing something

Examples

• "J'ai manqué mon train ce matin."

  I missed my train this morning.

• "Il manque du lait dans le réfrigérateur."

  There is milk missing in the refrigerator (i.e., we don't have enough milk).

• "Elle a manqué de tomber dans l'escalier."

  She almost fell down the stairs.

Usage

*Manquer* is one of the most common French verbs. It can be transitive (manquer quelque chose), intransitive (manquer de), or impersonal (il manque). The construction *manquer de + infinitive* means "to almost" or "to come close to." In informal speech, *tu me manques* ('you are missed by me / I miss you') is idiomatic. Do not confuse with *rater* (to fail, to miss by bad luck).