to stay away / be absent
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to be absent
Not to participate or not to appear at a place, event, or obligation where one's presence is expected.
Er ist der wichtigen Sitzung ohne Angabe von Gründen ferngeblieben.
He was absent from the important meeting without giving any reason.
'Fernbleiben' (to stay away / be absent) is a separable verb. The prefix 'fern-' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Warum blieb er dem Treffen gestern fern?
Why did he stay away from the meeting yesterday?
The verb is made up of 'fern' (far away) and 'bleiben' (to stay). Its literal meaning is therefore 'to stay far away', which describes the idea of not appearing well.
Viele Schüler blieben dem Unterricht wegen des Streiks fern.
Many students stayed away from class because of the strike.
The event or place that you do not attend is usually in the dative. Typical phrases are 'dem Unterricht fernbleiben' (to stay away from class) or 'der Sitzung fernbleiben' (to be absent from the meeting).
Sie ist der Konferenz aus persönlichen Gründen ferngeblieben.
She was absent from the conference for personal reasons.
'Fernbleiben' (to stay away / be absent) belongs to a formal style of language. It is often found in official notices, at school, or in work contexts.
Der Angeklagte ist dem Gerichtstermin unentschuldigt ferngeblieben.
The defendant was absent from the court date without an excuse.
to be absent / to be missing
'fehlen' and 'fernbleiben' can both mean that someone is not at an expected place. 'fehlen' is neutral and simply says that a person is not there, for example at school, at work, or at an appointment. 'fernbleiben' places stronger emphasis on someone not coming to an event or obligation even though their presence is expected. It sounds somewhat more formal. The words can be confused, but 'fehlen' describes more the state of being absent, while 'fernbleiben' describes more the decision or fact of not showing up.
Karim bleibt der Besprechung fern, weil er einen Arzttermin hat.
Karim is staying away from the meeting because he has a doctor's appointment.
Bei der Arbeit hat mein Freund heute wegen einer Grippe gefehlt.
My friend was absent from work today because of the flu.