Continually confused about this...

[MrCanary]

When I was having French lessons, I wanted to write, in French, "We miss you"...

I assumed it would be "Nous vous manquons" because as it is 'us' (nous) who is doing the missing, surely manquons is the correct verb for nous?

But our French teacher (French herself) said, "No, it is 'Nous vous manquez'..." She said it was 'you' who the 'missing' related to and manquez was correct.

This still bugs me and free translation sites always give 'Nous vous manquons' as being the correct answer.

Please, is there a Professor of the French language out there who can throw any light on this one?

Or, on reflection, did our teacher say it should have been "Vous nous manquez"...?

Thanks...

[Clair]

[quote user="Mel"]... did our teacher say it should have been "Vous nous manquez"[/quote]Most likely [:)]

Also discussed here.

[KathyF]

I think if you translate manquer as "to lack" it might make more sense to you and help you to remember. "You are lacking to me". Just a thought.....[:)]

[MrCanary]

Thanks...

But why isn't it 'Vous nous manquons'?

[Clair]

je te manque (you miss me)

tu me manques (I miss you)

il / elle me manque (I miss him / her)

nous vous manquons (you miss us)

vous nous manquez (we miss you)

ils / elles me manquent (I miss them)

[MrCanary]

Thanks Clair...

nous vous manquons (you miss us)

vous nous manquez (we miss you)

I think I will just put it down to one of the quirks in the language bcause, in the latter, as it is 'we' (nous) who is doing the missing, one would perhaps be forgiven for thinking it is 'we miss' (nous manquons) but I will just have to accept it as the other way round

[Christine Animal]

Yes, it's not said the same way as it's not we miss you in French, but you are missing to us, or lacking as Kathy said.

 

[MrCanary]

Thanks Kathy (and Christine) I will use the 'lacking' as the way of remembering. (It took a while for the coin to drop!)