falto

Falto is a term that appears in Spanish and Portuguese with several grammatical uses, and it also occurs as a proper name in some contexts. In Spanish, falto is the masculine form of the adjective meaning “lacking” or “short of.” It is used to describe a deficiency or insufficiency, typically with de: falto de recursos (lacking resources). In everyday speech, the more common way to express lack is through the verb faltar, with forms such as me falta or faltó in the past tense.

The past tense form faltó means “he/she/it was missing” or “failed to attend,” as in El equipo faltó a la reunión (The team was absent from the meeting). The adjective falto is less frequent in contemporary Spanish outside fixed phrases, and speakers often prefer other constructions to convey deficiency.

In Portuguese, the adjective form falto exists in some varieties but is less common in modern standard usage, where faltar or ficar sem are typically used to indicate deficiency. The form may appear in literary, historical, or dialectal contexts.

Outside grammar, Falto can function as a surname and may appear in place names or as part of organizational names in Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking regions. Because usage and acceptance vary by region and formality, the term may appear differently across dialects and historical texts.

See also: falta, faltar.