Faltar is one of the most commonly used Spanish verbs. Today we explain its main usages and the respective constructions. if you want to master Spanish verbs, take a look at the blog of El Rincón del Tándem Spanish school ?
Faltar is one of the Spanish verbs we come across a lot. It is likely that students find it challenging as this Spanish verb can be used in a variety of ways.
Generally speaking, the concept behind this verb expresses lacking, absence or nonexistence. However, it can be used under several circumstances and its meaning can also change accordingly.
So, let’s see together what the most frequent usages are:
1. We use faltar to indicate that someone does not show up or is missing in a place where she/his is expected to be.
In the construction used in these instances, the subject of the sentence is the missing person/object.
Examples:
A la fiesta de Pablo faltaba Lucía = Lucia was missing at Pablo’s party
Miriam faltó al trabajo tres veces la semana pasada = Miriam missed work three times last week
A la clase de español faltaban los estudiantes ingleses = The students from England were not at the Spanish class / were absent from the Spanish class
2. Faltar can also mean “to lack”, “to be short of”. In some circumstances, “need” is also used in English translation.
When it comes with this usage, the construction of the sentence is the one we use with the verb gustar. That means:
Indirect object = the person/object that lacks or needs something
Verb = faltar
Subject = the object or person that is lacking or needed
Examples:
A esta sopa le falta sal = This soup lacks any salt
Nos falta tiempo para resolver el problema de matemáticas = We need more time to solve the maths problema
Estoy lista para ir a la playa; solo me faltan las gafas de sol = I am ready to go to the beach; I am missing only my sunglasses
3. Faltar can be also used to indicate the remaining time until something happens or a goal is achieved.
In this case, the verb is always followed by the preposition PARA.To use the verb faltar with this objective, we must use the following construction:
(Indirect object) + verb faltar + subject + PARA + something that is expected to happen
In this instance the subject of the sentence is the noun expressing time.
Examples:
Faltan dos semanas para que empiece el curso escolar = The start of the school year is two weeks away
Me faltan tres horas para terminar la traducción = I have three hours till I finish translating
Faltan quince minutos al comienzo del concierto = We have 15 minutes before the concert starts
4. Breaking or not keeping a promise. In this case the verb faltar is always followed by the preposition A.
Examples:
Ana nunca falta a sus promesas = Ana never breaks her promises
We hope this blog will help you use correctly the verb faltar and understand the exact meaning of it in several situations.
As usual, El Rincón del Tándem will tell you more about Spanish verbs and words in our next post.
Besides, we are more than happy to teach you Spanish at our school in Valencia, providing a welcoming space where to learn having fun.
Have a good day!
