manquons

Manquons is the first-person plural present indicative form of the French verb manquer. The verb manquer has two principal meanings in French: to be lacking or to miss someone or something. As a result, manquons can express a general lack when followed by a complement, or, in a different construction, the idea that someone or something misses us.

In the sense of lacking something, nous manquons de is used with a noun or noun phrase: for example, nous manquons de temps means we lack time, and nous manquons d’expérience means we lack experience. This construction highlights a deficiency or shortage within a group or context. It is common in formal or written French to say something like “Ce qu’il nous manque, c’est du courage” to indicate what is missing.

To express that someone is missed by us, French normally uses the construction quelqu’un nous manque: for instance, Pierre nous manque means we miss Pierre. In this sense, the subject of manquer is the person or thing that is lacking for us, while the phrase nous manque indicates the emotional or practical absence felt by the speaker.

Grammatical note: manquer is a regular -er verb in the present tense, so the forms are je manque, tu manques, il manque, nous manquons, vous manquez, ils manquent. The nuance between lacking and missing someone rests on the chosen construction: manquer de for lack of something, versus someone nous manque for the feeling of missing someone.

See also: manquer, manquer de, nous manquons peu (less common variations).