fehlen
to be absent
Not to be present even though one is expected; to be absent.
EXAMPLE
Heute fehlen drei Schüler in der Klasse.
Today three students are absent from class.
fehlen
to be absent / to be missing
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Meanings
fehlen
to be missed
To be missed by someone; to leave an emotional gap. The person or thing that is missed is the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Seit du weg bist, fehlst du mir jeden Tag.
Since you've been gone, I miss you every day.
fehlen
to be missing
Not to be present, or not present in sufficient quantity; to be lacking.
EXAMPLE
Uns fehlt das Geld für eine große Reise.
We're missing the money for a big trip.
Was fehlt Ihnen?
What's wrong?
A typical question a doctor asks a patient to ask about their complaints or symptoms.
EXAMPLE
Der Arzt fragte den Patienten: 'Guten Tag, was fehlt Ihnen denn?'
The doctor asked the patient: 'Good day, what's the matter?'
fehlen
to miss
In sports or a game: to miss a target or make an error.
EXAMPLE
Der Stürmer hat beim Elfmeter gefehlt und den Ball über das Tor geschossen.
The striker missed on the penalty and shot the ball over the goal.
Usage tips
Grammar note
The grammar helps distinguish the meanings. If a person in the dative (e.g. 'mir', 'dir') appears with 'fehlen' (to be absent / to be missing), it is usually about a feeling of missing someone or a lack of something. Without a dative person, it often means 'to be absent'.
EXAMPLE
Mir fehlt die Energie, heute noch Sport zu machen.
I'm lacking the energy to do sports today.
Common mistake
To express that you miss someone, the sentence structure is different from English. The person who is missed is the subject (nominative), and the person who has the feeling is in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Meine beste Freundin fehlt mir sehr.
I miss my best friend very much.
Dative construction
When something is not present, the thing that is missing is in the nominative (subject). The person who is missing something is in the dative.
EXAMPLE
Mir fehlt der Mut, ihm die Wahrheit zu sagen.
I'm lacking the courage to tell him the truth.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'abwesend sein' (to be absent), 'fehlen' is often used in contexts like school, university, or work. Typical formulations are 'im Unterricht fehlen' (to be absent from class) or 'bei der Besprechung fehlen' (to be absent from the meeting).
EXAMPLE
Er hat letzte Woche wegen Krankheit bei der Arbeit gefehlt.
He was absent from work last week because of illness.
Fixed expression
The question 'Was fehlt Ihnen?' (What's wrong? / What seems to be the problem?) is a standard phrase that doctors or pharmacists use to ask about a person's health problems or symptoms. In informal conversation, people say 'Was fehlt dir?' (What's wrong?).
EXAMPLE
Der Notarzt fragte die verletzte Frau: 'Sagen Sie mir, was Ihnen fehlt.'
The emergency doctor asked the injured woman: 'Tell me what's wrong.'
Alternative structure
To express a lack, you can also use the impersonal structure 'es fehlt an + dative' (there is a lack of). This form is somewhat more formal.
EXAMPLE
In vielen Regionen fehlt es an sauberem Trinkwasser.
In many regions, there is a lack of clean drinking water.
Compare with
vermissenAbwesenheitverfehlenmangelnversäumenmissenschwänzenausbleibenentbehrenErmangelungfernbleiben
fehlen vs vermissen
to miss
Fehlen and vermissen can express the same emotional absence, but from different perspectives. With fehlen, the missed person is the subject and the person who feels the absence is in the dative. With vermissen, the person who feels the absence is the subject and the missed person is the accusative object.
fehlen
Seit Anna im Ausland lebt, fehlt sie ihrem Bruder sehr.
Anna has lived abroad ever since, and her brother misses her terribly.
vermissen
Seit Anna im Ausland lebt, vermisst ihr Bruder sie sehr.
Ever since Anna moved abroad, her brother has missed her terribly.
In real life
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