where to put the subject

Question

Hito say "we missed you" = tu nous as manqué (sort of saying : you were missed by us)so why is it "Paul a manqué son train," = straight translation "Paul missed his train," and not "son train a manqué à Paul" or "son train Paul a manqué"? Thank you.

Maarten Kamp · Answer

Laura,

the 2 different structures convey different meanings, distinguishing between

‘ emotional ‘ missing -

manquer à qqn ( usually qqn, but can be qqc as long as it is emotional missing being described )

and

‘ physical ‘ missing

- manquer qqc/qqn.

( And there is also the structure ‘ manquer de qqc ‘ and some other nuances with manquer, depending on context )

As well as the 2 lessons from this site, the external links below are worth reviewing.

Using manquer (à) to say you miss someone or something emotionally in French

Using manquer (de) to say you/something miss or lack in French

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/manquer-lesson/

https://www.frenchtoday.com/blog/french-grammar/i-miss-you-in-french/

https://www.wordreference.com/fren/manquer