“Faltar,” “Fallar,” and “Extrañar”

Quick Answer

In this article we’ll take a look at three of the most common ways to say to miss in Spanish: faltar, fallar, and extrañar.

It's important to know the differences between these verbs because they're not interchangeable. Let's learn a bit more about each one!

Faltar

  • Faltar is used with the preposition ain the context of to not attend.
  • Faltar can also mean to be missing or absent.

For example:

examples
Falté a la clase de español ayer.
I missed Spanish class yesterday.
Le falta un diente.
He’s missing a tooth.

Fallar

  • Fallar is used in sports contexts, meaning to not hit.

For example:

examples
Pienso que el bateador va a fallar otra vez.
I think the batter is going to miss again.

Fallar is also used to talk about failing someone or letting them down.

examples

Te fallé, mamá. Lo siento.
I failed you, Mom. I'm sorry.

Extrañar

Extrañar is used to express yearning or longing for someone. When in Spain, it is more common to use echar de menosto talk about missing someone.

For example:

examples
Te extraño cada día.
I miss you every day.
Echo de menos a mi novio.
I miss my boyfriend.