Before you start
Meet fehlen
Read how the verb is used, then write your own 10 sentences with it.
All 8 meanings
- (impersonal) for there to be a lack [with dative ‘to someone/something’ and an (+ dative) ‘of something’] (idiomatically translated by English lack with the dative object as the subject)
- to be absent, to be missing [with dative ‘to someone’] (idiomatically translated by English not have with the German subject as the direct object and the dative object as the subject)
- to be missed [with dative ‘by someone’] (idiomatically translated by English miss with the German subject as the direct object and the dative object as the subject)
- (regional) to be felt [with dative ‘by someone’, along with etwas ‘unwell’ or nichts ‘fine’]
- (intransitive) to be absent, to be missing
- (dated) to fail
Forms
How fehlen changes
| Pronoun | Präsens | Präteritum |
|---|---|---|
| ich | fehle | fehlte |
| du | fehlst | fehltest |
| er/sie/es | fehlt | fehlte |
| wir | fehlen | fehlten |
| ihr | fehlt | fehltet |
| Sie | fehlen | fehlten |
Partizip II gefehlt · Perfekt with haben
Three examples
- 1Mir fehlt das Geld.I don't have enough money.lack something
- 2Mein Schlüssel hat gestern gefehlt.My key was missing yesterday.Perfekt with haben
- 3Ich weiß, dass du mir fehlst.I know that I miss you.verb at the end after dass