Russian isn’t known as the most affectionate language. However, Russians are very passionate people, and once they trust and like you, they will go a lot further to keep the relationship going, then many other countries. If you have a Russian partner, then you surely want to know how to say I miss you in Russian. Today we’re going to see exactly how you should say that, pronounce it and write it (if you’re messaging).
In the above video I explain how I learned Russian.
I miss you in Russian – Ya Po Tebe Skuchayu
If you want to say I miss you in the Russian language, then the literal translation is:
- Я по тебе скучаю / я скучаю по тебе / по тебе скучаю ya
- Ya puh te-byé skoo-chái-yoo
- Exact pronunciation in IPA: [ja pətʲɪˈbʲe skʊˈʨajʊ]
If you want you can also change the word order (as usual in Russian). The only important thing is that по comes before тебе. Since you is after the preposition, you cannot change the position. So you can say я скучаю по тебе and Я по тебе скучаю and по тебе скучаю ya interchangeably.
- Я – I
- по – untranslated (but necessary before you)
- тебе – you
- скучаю – miss
You can also only say скучаю if you want to keep it short and sweet 😉
If you want to say it in the past tense, you can say:
- Я по тебе соскучился.
- Ya puh te-byé so-skóo-chil-suh
- Exact pronunciation in IPA: [ja pətʲɪˈbʲe səsˈkuʨɪlsʲə]
If you want to say it in the past tense you say: Я скучал по тебе, or я по тебе соскучился. The past tense is nice if you haven’t seen eachother for a while and you know see each other again.
10 Other ways to say I miss you in Russian:
Also, I’ll give you some other phrases that kind of mean the same thing, but have a slight difference in meaning. So you can say different variations and surprise your Russian partner every time again.
Just knowing one way to say I miss you is not enough. So here are 10 more ways that you can say something nice to your Russian partner to let her know that you miss her.
| English | Russian | Pronounciation | Literal |
| I miss you | Мне тебя не хватает. | mnye ti-bya nye hva-ta-yit) | To me there isn’t enough of you |
| I am thinking about you. | Я думаю о тебе. | ya doo-ma-yoo o ti-bye | I think about you |
| You are always on my mind. | Ты всегда в моих мыслях. | tiy fsig-da vma-eekh miys-likh | You always in my thoughts |
| I can’t live without you. | Я не могу жить без тебя. | ya nye ma-goo zheet’ byes ti-bya | I can’t live without you |
| I think about you all the time | Я все время о тебе думаю | ya fso vre-mya o ti-bye doo-ma-yoo | I all the time about you think |
| I am feeling sad without you | Мне грустно без тебя | Mnye groos-tno bez ti-bya | To me sad without you |
| I want to be with you | Я хочу к тебе | Ya ho-choo k ti-bye | I want to you |
| We need to see each other | Надо увидеть | Na-do oo-vi-det-sya | Need to see each other |
| I want to see you | Я хочу тебя увидеть | Ya hochu ti-bya oo-vi-det | I want you to see |
| I feel lonely without you | Мне одиноко без тебя | Mnye o-di-noko bez ti-bya | To me lonely without you |
If you know another way to say I miss you in the Russian language, let other readers know about it in the comments!
Want to know some sweet names for your Russian partner? Or learn how to say hello in Russian? Then check out the free trial of Russianpod101! It’s an effective way to learn your first phrases in Russian.
P.S. If you want to improve your Russian on 'autopilot', my best recommendation is to just listen to 1 single Russianpod101 podcast per day (about 15 minutes). Ideally you do this when commuting to work to create a lasting habit. You can also take a daily walk. I did this for about 6 months, and it's the reason my Russian improved so quickly. There's a free 7 day trial with just an email address, so you're not risking anything. Give it a try and see how fast your Russian skills improve.
