verb
to miss (someone/something), to long for
B1
vermissen means to miss someone or something, to long for. Transitive, it takes an accusative object (jemanden/etwas vermissen). Regular weak verb using haben in compound tenses. It is non‑reflexive and non‑separable. Note passive: 'Er wird vermisst' = he is reported missing; imperative and regular conjugations apply.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Er vermisste seine Familie.
He missed his family.
Er vermisst seine Kindheit und spricht oft davon.
He longs for his childhood and talks about it often.
Seit dem Umzug vermisste der Sohn seine Freunde, weil er niemanden in der neuen Schule kannte.
Since the move, the son missed his friends because he didn't know anyone at the new school.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.DETAILS_LABEL
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Imagine a torn photograph (a missing piece) with the caption 'ver-miss-en' to evoke missing someone.
Sounds like English 'ver-miss-en' — think of 'miss' to remember 'to miss'.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.NOTES
vermissen is transitive (you miss someone/something). In conversation Germans often use 'ich habe dich vermisst' to say 'I missed you.'