French grammar explained
Manquer vs rater in French
English uses “to miss” for a person, a train, an opportunity and a missing ingredient. French does not build all these meanings in the same way. Manquer and rater overlap for events and opportunities, but only manquer is used to say that you miss someone or lack something.
What is the difference between manquer and rater?
| Meaning | Natural French | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Miss a train, event or opportunity | manquer or rater | J’ai manqué / raté mon train. |
| Fail an exam or perform badly | rater | Il a raté son examen. |
| Miss a person | manquer Ă | Tu me manques. |
| Lack something | manquer de | Nous manquons de temps. |
| Almost do something | manquer de + infinitive | J’ai manqué de tomber. |
The two verbs are therefore not simple synonyms. Their meaning depends heavily on the structure that follows them.
Can you use both verbs for a train, meeting or opportunity?
Often, yes. When you do not catch transport, attend an event or take an opportunity, both verbs can be natural.
I missed my train this morning.
I missed my train this morning.
In this context, the difference is small. Rater is frequent in everyday speech and can make the failed result feel more concrete. Manquer is neutral and works in both spoken and written French.
You missed an important meeting.
She missed a great opportunity to speak French.
A useful distinction with exams and appointments
J’ai manqué l’examen normally means that you did not attend or take the exam. J’ai raté l’examen means that you took it and failed.
When does rater mean “to fail” or “to mess up”?
Use rater when someone fails to achieve the expected result or does something badly.
I failed my driving test.
I completely messed up this cake.
You can also say une photo ratée for a bad photograph or une journée ratée for a day that did not go as planned. Manquer does not express this idea of poor execution.
How do you say “I miss you” in French?
French reverses the grammatical perspective used in English. The person who is absent becomes the subject of manquer; the person who feels the absence is represented by an indirect object pronoun.
| French sentence | Literal logic | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Tu me manques. | You are missing to me. | I miss you. |
| Je te manque ? | Am I missing to you? | Do you miss me? |
| Mes amis me manquent. | My friends are missing to me. | I miss my friends. |
| Vous nous manquez. | You are missing to us. | We miss you. |
Can you miss a place or an experience?
Yes. The same construction works for things, places and periods of life that you feel nostalgic about.
I miss life in Paris.
What does manquer de mean?
Manquer de + noun means “to lack,” “to be short of” or “not to have enough.”
We are short of time.
This explanation lacks clarity.
Manquer de + infinitive: to almost do something
With an infinitive, manquer de can mean that something nearly happened.
I almost fell on the stairs.
Mini practice: choose manquer or rater
- Je suis arrivé trop tard et j’ai ______ le début du film.
- Tu ______ beaucoup à tes parents depuis ton départ.
- Elle a ______ son examen : elle a obtenu 8 sur 20.
- Nous ______ de place dans cet appartement.
- J’ai ______ de glisser sur le trottoir mouillé.
- Ils ont ______ une excellente occasion de visiter le musée gratuitement.
See the answers
- manqué or raté — both work for missing part of an event.
- manques — Tu manques à tes parents means your parents miss you.
- raté — she took the exam and failed it.
- manquons — manquer de means to lack.
- manqué — manquer de + infinitive means to almost do something.
- manqué or raté — both work for a missed opportunity.
Final recap
Use manquer or rater when you miss transport, an event or an opportunity. Prefer rater when you fail or do something badly. Use manquer Ă for people and things you miss, remembering that French reverses the English structure. Use manquer de to express a lack or something that almost happened.
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