How to Say ‘Be Absent’ in Portuguese: Faltar, Estar Ausente, or Não Vir
Use faltar when someone misses a class, shift, or event; estar ausente describes someone as absent and can sound more formal. Learn when não vir is the simplest choice.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 20, 2026
The short answer
For a person who does not attend class, work, a meeting, or an event, faltar is often the most natural verb. It focuses on the missed activity: faltar à aula, faltar ao trabalho, or faltar à reunião. In the past, faltei means “I missed” or “I was absent.”
Use faltar when someone misses an activity
In careful writing, the preposition a combines with the article: a + a aula becomes à aula; a + o trabalho becomes ao trabalho. In everyday speech, contractions and pronunciation can make this combination less obvious, so learn the full written form as a chunk.
Faltei à aula porque estava doente.
I missed class because I was sick.
Ela vai faltar ao trabalho amanhã.
She is going to miss work tomorrow.
Você faltou à reunião de ontem.
You missed yesterday’s meeting.
Use estar ausente to describe someone’s status
Estar ausente means to be absent or not present. It is useful in notices, attendance records, and more formal explanations. The phrase describes the person’s state; it does not itself tell you why the person is away.
In casual conversation, Brazilians often choose a more direct sentence such as Ela não veio hoje (She didn’t come today) or Ele não está aqui agora (He isn’t here right now). Choose the form that matches what you actually know.
O professor está ausente hoje.
The teacher is absent today.
A gerente está ausente no momento.
The manager is away at the moment.
A Júlia não veio à reunião.
Julia didn’t come to the meeting.
Put it into practice
Faltar names the missed activity; estar ausente describes a person’s absence. In everyday speech, não veio or não está aqui may sound simpler.
Choose by situation and register
If you are explaining your own attendance, use faltar: faltei ao trabalho (I missed work). If you are writing a status update, estar ausente is clear: a pessoa está ausente. If you are simply reporting that somebody did not arrive, não veio is direct.
Avoid translating the English phrase word for word. Portuguese does not normally say *sou ausente for one missed class: ser describes a lasting identity or characteristic, while estar ausente describes a current state. The verb faltar is the usual choice when the activity was not attended.
Não vou poder ir. Vou faltar ao treinamento.
I won’t be able to go. I’m going to miss the training.
O aluno está ausente; a família já avisou a escola.
The student is absent; the family has already notified the school.
O Daniel não veio hoje, mas avisou que está bem.
Daniel didn’t come today, but he said he is okay.
A quick practice: say what happened
Try completing these ideas aloud: “I missed the appointment yesterday” (Faltei à consulta ontem); “the coordinator is away now” (A coordenadora está ausente agora); “my colleague didn’t come today” (Meu colega não veio hoje). Keep the activity with faltar and the person’s status with estar ausente.
Then change the subject and time: faltei, ela faltou, vamos faltar. The verb changes with the subject, while the activity phrase stays useful. I Speak Portuguese’s linked sentence-pattern lesson offers a structured way to reuse these forms in new examples.
Faltei ao trabalho na segunda-feira.
I missed work on Monday.
O médico está ausente esta manhã.
The doctor is absent this morning.
Put it into practice
Say faltar à/ao + activity for missing it; estar ausente for someone’s status; and não veio when you simply mean the person did not come.
Check your understanding
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