Extrañar

Extrañar is a Spanish verb that broadly translates to "to miss" in English. Its usage encompasses a range of emotions and situations, most commonly referring to a feeling of longing for someone or something absent. This absence can be due to physical separation, such as a friend moving away, or a temporal one, like missing a past event or a specific period in one's life.

The verb can also express a sense of lack or need. For instance, one might "extrañar" a particular ingredient when cooking, indicating its absence makes the dish incomplete. In certain contexts, it can imply a feeling of not being accustomed to something or finding something unusual or strange, although this is a less frequent meaning.

The conjugation of "extrañar" follows regular patterns for -ar verbs in Spanish. Common phrases include "te extraño" (I miss you) and "echo de menos," which is another common way to express missing someone or something, often used interchangeably with "extrañar" depending on regional preference and personal style. The feeling of "extrañar" is a fundamental human emotion, and the verb serves as a versatile tool to articulate this experience in the Spanish language.