While working as a private German online teacher, I often see students get lost in distinguishing between similar words. One example is correctly using the German verbs “vermissen” and “verpassen”. Find out in this article when you should use which!

Spoilt for choice

When studying a foreign language, one often encounters situations where one needs to look up the proper translation of a word. Frequently, the dictionary offers us many different options as a result. But unfortunately, not every option always suits the sentence you would like to form. And such a misunderstanding happens when you look for the correct translation for “to miss”.

1. The meaning of “vermissen”

The German “vermissen” is a regular verb, and we usually use it, when we would like to express that we are missing a friend or an experience because we cannot be with them or enjoy it at this particular moment. Therefore, we cannot use “vermissen” in the sense that we miss something out as an event because we are sick. Often, students tend to use “vermissen” as a general translation for the English “to miss” because it also includes a “miss”-part. Therefore students often confuse them.

Example of “vermissen”:

1. “Ich vermisse meinen Partner, der gerade in Amerika ist.” – “I miss my partner, who is currently in America.”

2. “Wir vermissen die leckere Suppe unserer Oma.” – “We miss our grandma’s delicious soup.”

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2. The meaning of “verpassen”

While “vermissen” reminds people of “miss,” “verpassen” often brings students to the wrong track. Therefore, they assume it must be related to the English “to pass.”  As a result, they use it the wrong way.

But the German “verpassen” means missing something because you could not make it. For instance, when you want to express that you cannot attend a meeting because you are sick, you should use “verpassen”. If you used “vermissen” instead, you would say that you have a longing for the meeting you could not attend, and most of the time, this is not true.

Example of “verpassen”

1. “Weil wir zu spät losgegangen sind, haben wir den Zug verpasst.” – “Because we left too late, we missed the train.”

2. “Du bist eingeschlafen und hast deswegen das Ende des Films verpasst.” – “You fell asleep and therefore missed the end of the film.”

The distinction

I hope that you understand the difference between both verbs better now. However, if you are unsure about which to choose, you can always ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I miss something in the sense that I have longed for it? If so, select “vermissen”.

2. Can I not attend something and therefore miss the event or the meeting? If so, choose “verpassen”.

Bis bald!

Steffie

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