Manquer

Manquer is a French verb with several related meanings centered on the idea of not being present or not meeting a standard. The most frequent senses are: to miss catching something (a train, a bus, a rendezvous), to be lacking or short of something, and to be missed by someone or to fail to fulfill an obligation. The exact meaning depends on the construction and complements used.

Conjugation and forms: Manquer is a regular -er verb in many of its forms. Present: je manque, tu manques, il manque, nous manquons, vous manquez, ils manquent. Passé composé: j'ai manqué. Imperfect: je manquais. Future: je manquerai. Subjunctive present: que je manque, que tu manques, qu'il manque, que nous manquions, que vous manquiez, qu'ils manquent. The past participle is manqué and is used with avoir in compound tenses.

Usage and examples: To miss something tangible: J'ai manqué le train. J'ai manqué le début du film. To lack something: Ce plat manque de sel; Il manque de patience. To be missed by someone or to miss someone: Tu me manques; Son départ me manque. The expression manquer à quelqu'un means to be missed by someone or, in some contexts, to fail to keep a commitment: manquer à sa parole is used to describe not keeping one’s word, though other formulations are common.

Notes: Manquer can also appear with de to express a lack of quality or quantity: manquer de courage, manquer de ressources. It is distinct from rater, which more often emphasizes failure to achieve a planned result or to perform an action, whereas manquer covers missing events, presence, or deficiencies. Etymology traces to Old French manquer, from Latin mancāre, meaning to be deficient.