Faltar vs. Sentir Falta in Portuguese: Be Absent or Miss Someone?
Faltar describes an absence or shortage; sentir falta de expresses that you miss someone or something.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Faltar can mean to be absent, missing, or left, depending on the sentence. A person can faltar à aula (be absent from class); a shop can be described as estar faltando leite (running out of milk).
Use faltar for absence or shortage
Pay attention to the subject: in falta pão, bread is what is missing. This can feel different from English ‘we are out of bread,’ but it is natural Portuguese.
O Pedro faltou ao trabalho na segunda-feira.
Pedro was absent from work on Monday.
Está faltando uma cadeira na sala.
A chair is missing from the room.
Use sentir falta de to say you miss something
Sentir falta de means to miss someone or something because they are absent or you wish they were present. The person who feels the absence is the subject: sinto falta da minha família.
The preposition de contracts with articles: de + a becomes da and de + o becomes do. Put the person, place, or activity after it.
Sinto falta dos meus amigos do Brasil.
I miss my friends from Brazil.
Ela sente falta de morar perto do mar.
She misses living near the sea.
Compare attendance with a feeling
Ana faltou à reunião means Ana did not attend. Senti falta da Ana na reunião means I noticed and missed her presence. One describes attendance; the other expresses a person’s feeling or observation.
Ask whether an item is missing with está faltando…? When you want to express nostalgia, say sinto falta de… and name the person, place, or activity.
Está faltando algum documento?
Is any document missing?
Senti falta de conversar com você.
I missed talking with you.
Put it into practice
Use faltar for absence or shortage; use sentir falta de to say that you miss someone or something.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I miss my friends from Brazil”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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