# All Slavic Languages: I miss you



## mateo19

Hello everyone,

I would like to compare and contrast the phrase, "I miss you" in the various Slavic langugages.  One thing I am curious about is whether the subject or the object is the one performing the action.  For example, in Slovak I'm pretty that we say _Chýbaš mi_.  So, it's not "I miss you", it is "you are lacking / you are missing _to me_."  What about in your languages?  Thank you so much in advance!

Dobrú noc!


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## BezierCurve

In Polish you have:

1. Tęsknię za tobą (so, it is: I miss you)
2. Brak/brakuje mi ciebie (lit.: [it] is lacking you [to] me)


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## Kolan

Russian: 1. (Я) скучаю/тоскую по тебе.
2. Мне тебя не хватает.


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## TriglavNationalPark

Slovene:

"Pogrešam te."

This is the common phrase and it quite literally means "I miss you" (pogrešati = to miss; te = you as a direct object)



mateo19 said:


> One thing I am curious about is whether the subject or the object is the one performing the action. For example, in Slovak I'm pretty that we say _Chýbaš mi_. So, it's not "I miss you", it is "you are lacking / you are missing _to me_." What about in your languages?


 
In Slovene, you could also say "manjkaš mi", which does mean "you are lacking *to me*", but this is far rarer and is (AFAIK) essentially informal/colloquial.


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## lavverats

In Bulgarian: 
Липсваш ми (Plural: Липсвате ми) ['Lipsvash mi/'Lipsvate mi],
and the same case as in Slovak: 
(You are) lacking/missing to me.
Regards


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## michcim

In the Czech language:
Chybíš mi.


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## Tagarela

Ahoj,



michcim said:


> In the Czech language:
> Chybíš mi.



How about *Stýská se mi po tobě*? 


* Michcim, vítám vás v foru! 

Na shledanou.:


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## michcim

Stýská se mi po tobě... is also O.K. Both express the same situation - e. g. someone´s girlfriend is working in a faraway town and they can see each other once in fortnight - and he is expresing his feelings.


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## mateo19

The Czech examples are interesting and get me thinking:
Is there any other way to say "I miss you" in Slovak, besides _Chýbaš mi_?


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## User1001

Macedonian
Singular: Ми недостигаш (Mi nedostigaš)
Plural: Ми недостигате (Mi nedostigate)


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## slavic_one

Croatian: Nedostaješ mi.
Can also be: Fališ mi.


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## werrr

mateo19 said:


> The Czech examples are interesting and get me thinking:
> Is there any other way to say "I miss you" in Slovak, besides _Chýbaš mi_?



Slovaks have "cnie sa mi po tobe" with the same meaning as the Czech "stýská se mi po tobě", but they use it less often.

There is also the verb "scházet/schádzať" (Czech/Slovak) which means to be missing, but it is less emotional and mostly used for things. Nevertheless, you could use "scházíš/schádzaš mi" as well.


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## echo chamber

tspier2 said:


> Macedonian
> Singular: Ми недостигаш (Mi nedostigaš)
> Plural: Ми недостигате (Mi nedostigate)



Also:

Ми недостасуваш;
Ми фалиш.


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## mateo19

I read that in Ukrainian it is:
Я сумую за тобою (ya sumuyu za tob_o_yu).

Thanks for the information, Werrr!  How do you say, in Slovak, that you miss doing something?
Can you use that verb?:  Schází mi písať ti listy = I miss writing you letters?


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## K.u.r.t

You can use it but in a slightly different manner. You would say "Schází mi někdo/něco/činnost (psaní)" but not "Schází mi psát".


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## nexy

slavic_one said:


> Croatian: Nedostaješ mi.
> Can also be: Fališ mi.


 

We say it the same way in Serbian.


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## mateo19

I know a long time has gone by since we participated in this post, but I just too was curious...

Kolan, in Russian, what is the difference between the two verbs that you showed us, скучаю and тоскую?  Is one more romantic than the other one?  Or is one stronger than the other?  Thank you for further explaining it.


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## texpert

Finding the former expression in a letter from a friend is a positive sign of improving your intimacy.


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## Ptak

mateo19 said:


> in Russian, what is the difference between the two verbs that you showed us, скучаю and тоскую? Is one more romantic than the other one? Or is one stronger than the other?


*Тоскую* is more "romantic", but also more elevated, old-fashioned and less used. I wouldn't say so.


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## Azori

werrr said:


> Slovaks have "cnie sa mi po tobe" with the same meaning as the Czech "stýská se mi po tobě", but they use it less often.


Well, _"__cnie_ _sa_ _mi_ _po_ _tebe" _(_tebe_, because _tobě_ is a Czech word) actually isn't used less often because in fact it isn't used at all. This phrase can be found only in some old Slovak movies and literature, definitely not in today's everyday spoken Slovak.


werrr said:


> There is also the verb "scházet/schádzať" (Czech/Slovak) which means to be missing, but it is less emotional and mostly used for things. Nevertheless, you could use "scházíš/schádzaš mi" as well.


First of all, _schádzať _in Slovak (an imperfective of the verb _zísť_) means to go down, get off, leave -examples: _schádzať_ _po_ _schodoch_-to go down the stairs, _schádzať_ z _cesty_-to leave the road. There's also the verb _schádzať_ _sa_, which means to meet, come together (regularly). So _"schádzaš_ _mi"_ doesn't make any sense and I personally wouldn't understand it.


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## Mišo

I, ringside, act up to one triviality. Until now I still have not hit the reason why it is said in English: "I miss you" and not "you miss me", like "chýbaš mi". 
I awake, "I miss you" is like "postrádam ťa", though we do not use this collocation too frequently. Are you in agreement with me?


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## Azori

But _postrádat_ is in Czech, not Slovak.


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## Mišo

lior neith said:


> But _postrádat_ is in Czech, not Slovak.



"postrádať" is regular cognate verb or synonym to "chýbať", "mať nedostatok", "nemať", see here.


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## Azori

I haven't heard it in Slovakia so far.


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## werrr

mateo19 said:


> Thanks for the information, Werrr!  How do you say, in Slovak, that you miss doing something?
> Can you use that verb?:  Schází mi písať ti listy = I miss writing you letters?


You mix Czech and Slovak. 



K.u.r.t said:


> You can use it but in a slightly different manner. You would say "Schází mi někdo/něco/činnost (psaní)" but not "Schází mi psát".


This is in Czech, but the same applies for Slovak. But the Slovaks would use rather the verb “chýbať”, “schádzať” is rare in this meaning.



lior neith said:


> Well, _"__cnie_ _sa_ _mi_ _po_ _tebe" _(_tebe_, because _tobě_ is a Czech word)


Oh, yes, you are right. I should write the examples directly in Slovak and stop adjusting the Czech ones into Slovak, it leads to stupid mistakes.



> …actually isn't used less often because in fact it isn't used at all. This phrase can be found only in some old Slovak movies and literature, definitely not in today's everyday spoken Slovak.


There are 64400 Google hits for “cnie sa mi”. I call this “less often”, not “not at all”. And most of the hits are in the spoken variety of Slovak, by the way.



> First of all, _schádzať _in Slovak (an imperfective of the verb _zísť_) means to go down, get off, leave -examples: _schádzať_ _po_ _schodoch_-to go down the stairs, _schádzať_ z _cesty_-to leave the road. There's also the verb _schádzať_ _sa_, which means to meet, come together (regularly). So _"schádzaš_ _mi"_ doesn't make any sense and I personally wouldn't understand it.


This meaning of the verb “schádzať” is highly bookish and rare, but it really exists in Slovak.

schádzajú mu sily
schádza mu návod
schádza mu vysvetlenie
schádza mu ocko
schádza na dobrej vôli



lior neith said:


> But _postrádat_ is in Czech, not Slovak.


“Postrádať” is pretty common verb in Slovak.


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## Azori

werrr said:


> There are 64400 Google hits for “cnie sa mi”. I call this “less often”, not “not at all”. And most of the hits are in the spoken variety of Slovak, by the way.


As you have probably noticed, I was writing about "cnie sa mi po tebe", NOT "cnie sa mi". I have nowhere stated "cnie sa mi" is uncommon, it could be well used with other words, for instance "cnie sa mi po domove"- I miss my home. But try to type "cnie sa mi po tebe" (with quotes) in Google, make a search for sites in Slovak and you'll see for yourself.


werrr said:


> This meaning of the verb “schádzať” is highly bookish and rare, but it really exists in Slovak.
> 
> schádzajú mu sily
> schádza mu návod
> schádza mu vysvetlenie
> schádza mu ocko
> schádza na dobrej vôli


I have never in my life heard or seen these.


werrr said:


> “Postrádať” is pretty common verb in Slovak.


Can't agree.


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## werrr

lior neith said:


> As you have probably noticed, I was writing about "cnie sa mi po tebe", NOT "cnie sa mi". I have nowhere stated "cnie sa mi" is uncommon, it could be well used with other words, for instance "cnie sa mi po domove"- I miss my home. But try to type "cnie sa mi po tebe" (with quotes) in Google, make a search for sites in Slovak and you'll see for yourself.


One could understand you want to differenciate the transitive and intransitive version (to restrict the search on “cnie sa mi po”), but the differenciation of the transitive version in accordance to the particular object is a little silly idea. Of course, the more restricted object you use the less Google hits you have.

I never claimed the phrase to be common, I raised it as a less common alternative because somebody asked for it. In fact, the relation of the phrases is analogous to the relation of English “I miss you” and “I’m sick of missing you”. Yes, the latter is less common, but to claim that it is not used at all is inappropriate exaggeration.


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## NotNow

BezierCurve said:


> In Polish you have:
> 
> 1. Tęsknię za tobą (so, it is: I miss you)
> 2. Brak/brakuje mi ciebie (lit.: [it] is lacking you [to] me)


 
Another possibility is _Tęskno mi się za Tobą._


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## Azori

werrr said:


> One could understand you want to differenciate the transitive and intransitive version (to restrict the search on “cnie sa mi po”), but the differenciation of the transitive version in accordance to the particular object is a little silly idea. Of course, the more restricted object you use the less Google hits you have.
> 
> I never claimed the phrase to be common, I raised it as a less common alternative because somebody asked for it. In fact, the relation of the phrases is analogous to the relation of English “I miss you” and “I’m sick of missing you”. Yes, the latter is less common, but to claim that it is not used at all is inappropriate exaggeration.


Inappropriate or not, I don't make non-existent phrases in other languages by changing a few letters like you do (see your attempt to translate the Czech _scházíš_ _mi_ to _schádzaš_ _mi _-an utter nonsense that 99,9% of Slovaks would not understand), and don't post them here and state them as a fact. And I don't base my posts on the number of Google hits too.


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## werrr

Dear lior neith,

I suggest you to open some better dictionary of Slovak language and look up for the words. I have two at home “Pravidlá slovenského pravopisu” and “Slovník slovenského jazyka” by Št. Peciar.

Pravidlá knows (know?) all the words, even the verb “postradať” you claim to not to know. Of course, as a grammar dictionary it says only a little about the meanings.

The Št. Peciar’s dictionary knows all the words as well and for “schádzať” it says:



ísť dolu, zostupovať
miznúť, strácať sa
chýbať, nedostávať sa _(kniž.)_

vzchádzať, klíčiť _(hovor.)_

The fact you have never heard something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in your language. Everybody knows only a little subset of his language’s vocabulary.


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## Azori

Dear werr,
if some dictionaries contain certain words, it doesn't always mean all of them are in active use and people would understand them. Some of them would be most likely useless in everyday communication. If I didn't already know the word _postrádať_ from Czech, I wouldn't know now what it means. The word _schádzať_ with the meaning to miss is, according to that dictionary, bookish, and in my opinion, archaic as well. I very much doubt any Slovak would think of it as _to_ _miss._


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## texpert

Hi lior and werr,
by no means do I want be a judge in your heated exchange. I was just wondering if my recent mini-research might be of some use to you both. 
Having enjoyed a company of a friend of mine from Slovakia tonight, I had snatched a moment to ask him casually if it was possible to state _schádzaš mi_ and _postrádam ťa_ in Slovak. 
My companion, a well-educated painter from Košice (57) who has been living in Prague since 1996, at first resolutely refused. 
After a while he retracted his previous refusal and said something to the extent that it may well have been possible, yet only in colloqial Slovakian. 
Not a minute had passed when he stressed that it had to be _really colloquial_ conversation, indeed. 
Without interferring in his thoughts and limiting my inputs to occasional "really?" and "don't say", I had witnessed another twist in the story when he mentioned a chance of mixing Czech and Slovak into one, as he had done several times before. 
To make a point, he admitted he did not know for certain anymore and doubted that he would ever know again. 
We left it at that


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