Short answer
“I miss you” in Russian is Я скучаю по тебе
How to say I miss you in Russian?
How to say I miss you in Russian — it's «Я скучаю по тебе», pronounced Ya skuchayu po tebe. Use it with friends, family, or a partner, anyone you address as ты. In texts and casual talk the pronoun often drops: «Скучаю по тебе» is the short version. For the polite вы form say «Я скучаю по вам». When you finally meet after a long time, the perfective «Соскучился по тебе» (feminine: «соскучилась») is what natives say — but don't drop the «по тебе»: a bare «Я скучаю» means 'I'm bored.'
Common pairings
скучать по дому — to miss homeскучать по семье — to miss your familyскучать по родителям — to miss your parentsочень скучать по — to miss someone a lot
How to use it
- Match the pronoun to the relationship: «по тебе» for someone you call ты (friend, partner, family), «по вам» for the polite вы or for a group.
- Remember that скучать also means 'to be bored'. With по + dative it means 'to miss'; on its own «Мне скучно» or «Я скучаю» means 'I'm bored'.
- Russian word order is flexible: «Я по тебе скучаю», «По тебе скучаю», and «Скучаю по тебе» are all natural; the emphasis simply moves to the end.
- Use imperfective «скучаю» when the feeling is happening now; use perfective «соскучился» / «соскучилась» when you meet again and the waiting is over.
Examples
Я скучаю по тебе, приезжай скорее!
I miss you, come back soon!
«Я скучаю по тебе» is pronounced Ya skuchayu po tebe — the standard informal phrase for someone you address as ты.
Скучаю по тебе. Как прошёл твой день?
Missing you. How was your day?
«Скучаю по тебе» is pronounced Skuchayu po tebe — the casual message style with the pronoun я dropped.
Я скучаю по вам, Анна Петровна.
I miss you, Anna Petrovna.
«Я скучаю по вам» is pronounced Ya skuchayu po vam — the polite form for someone you address as вы.
Соскучился по тебе!
I've missed you!
«Соскучился по тебе» is pronounced Soskuchilsya po tebe — the perfective form said at a reunion. A female speaker says «Соскучилась».
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Я скучаю |
Я скучаю по тебе | After скучать Russian requires по + dative (тебе); the accusative тебя is a direct calque from English and is ungrammatical. |
| Соскучился по тебе | The perfective form is reflexive: соскучился (male), соскучилась (female), never соскучил. | |
| Я скучаю по |
Я скучаю по вам | Addressing a boss, an elder, or anyone you call вы with тебе sounds too familiar; switch the pronoun to вам. |
| Unnatural | Natural | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Я скучаю |
Я скучаю по тебе | «Скучать за» is a regionalism; standard Russian pairs скучать with по + dative. |
FAQ
- How to say I miss you in RussianSay «Я скучаю по тебе» (Ya skuchayu po tebe). For the polite вы form say «Я скучаю по вам». After a long separation, use «Соскучился по тебе» (male) / «Соскучилась по тебе» (female): I've missed you.
- Does скучать also mean bored?Yes. With по + dative it means 'to miss': скучаю по тебе. Without it, «Я скучаю» or «Мне скучно» means 'I'm bored'.
- Why can't I say я скучаю тебя?Because скучать 'to miss' takes по + dative case, not a direct object. The accusative тебя is wrong, even though English says 'I miss you' with a direct object.
- What is the difference between скучаю and соскучился?Скучаю is the ongoing feeling — I miss you right now. Соскучился is perfective — the feeling has accumulated and is often said at a reunion: I've missed you. Female: соскучилась.