| Principal Translations |
| faltar⇒ vi | (no haber) (have none, too little) | lack⇒ vtr |
| | | be short of, be short on v expr |
| | | do not have enough v expr |
| | Si no faltara dinero en mi casa, podríamos permitirnos algunos lujos. |
| | If money were not lacking in my house, we could afford some luxuries. |
| faltar vi | (cosa: no estar en su lugar) (absence of [sb], [sth]) | be missing v aux + adj |
| | | be short [+ quantity + thing] v expr |
| | Falta un expediente en el archivero. ¿Quién se lo llevó? |
| | A report is missing from the file cabinet. Who took it? |
| faltar vi | (tiempo: quedar por pasar) (time until [sth] happens) | be [time period] away v expr |
| | | be [time period] until v expr |
| | Falta una semana para que empiece la primavera. |
| | The start of spring is one week away. |
| faltar a vi + prep | (obligación: no asistir) (appointment: not attend) | miss⇒ vtr |
| | | not turn up, not show up v expr |
| | Si faltas al trabajo con frecuencia, te van a despedir. |
| | If you miss work often, you'll get fired. |
| faltar a vi + prep | (infringir, incumplir) | break⇒ vtr |
| | | be in breach of, not keep v expr |
| | Pedro no tiene palabra: acostumbra faltar a sus promesas. |
| | Peter isn't trustworthy; he usually breaks his promises. |
Compound Forms:
|
| faltar al honor loc verb | (no actuar con decoro) | disrespect [sb]'s honor v expr |
| | En algunos lugares, faltar al honor de la familia es castigado con la vida. |
| faltar al honor loc verb | literario (mancillar la buena fama) | disrespect [sb]'s honor |
| | Has faltado al honor de tu nombre con tus actos. |
| faltar al respeto vi | (ofender, insultar) | disrespect⇒ vtr |
| | | have a lack of respect for v expr |
| | | insult⇒ vtr |
| | Por faltarle al respeto a mi maestro fui expulsado de la clase. |
| | I was sent out of the class for disrespecting my teacher. |
| faltar algo a alguien loc verb | (necesitar más de) | [sb] lacks [sth] v expr |
| | | [sb] is missing [sth] v expr |
| faltarle las palabras a alguien loc verb + prep | (tener dificultad para expresarse) | be lost for words v expr |
| | | be speechless vi + adj |
| | La homenajeada estaba tan conmovida por los gestos de cariño que le faltaban las palabras. |
| | The guest of honor was so moved by the kind gestures that she was lost for words. |
faltar mucho,
faltar mucho tiempo loc verb | (restar largo tiempo) | be a long time left v expr |
| | | be a long time until v expr |
faltar mucho para algo,
faltar mucho tiempo para algo loc verb + prep | (restar largo tiempo para algo) | be far away from [sth] v expr |
| | | have a long way to go until [sth] v expr |
| | (US, colloquial) | be a ways away from, be a long way away from v expr |
faltar poco para algo,
faltar poco tiempo para algo loc verb + prep | (quedar un corto tiempo para algo) | not be long for [sth] v expr |
| | | be just around the corner v expr |
| | (event) | be approaching [sth], be close to [sth] v expr |
| | Falta poco para que la abuela venga a visitarnos; ¡qué alegría! Falta poco tiempo para el cumpleaños de Luciano. |
| faltar tiempo loc verb | (estar corto de tiempo) | be short of time v expr |
| faltarle tiempo a alguien para algo loc verb + prep | (no tener suficiente tiempo) | need more time for/to v expr |
| | Nos falta tiempo para platicar todo lo que nos ha pasado. |
| | We need more time to talk about everything that has happened to us. |
| faltar [unidad de tiempo] para loc verb + prep | (quedar cierta cantidad de tiempo) | be hours left to/until v expr |
| | Faltan dos horas para que lleguemos al hotel. ¿Seguro que no quieres que maneje yo? |
| | There are still two hours left until we get to the hotel. Do you want me to take over? |
| faltarle un hervor a loc verb + prep | coloquial (requerir perfeccionamiento) | require perfection v expr |
| faltarle un hervor a alguien loc verb + prep | coloquial (ser poco inteligente) | not be all there v expr |
| | (colloquial) | have a screw loose v expr |
| | (UK) | be backward v expr |
| | (UK: colloquial) | be one sausage short of a barbecue v expr |
| | No le hagas caso: ¿no ves que le falta un hervor? |
| | Ignore him. Can't you see he's not all there? |
| faltar un tornillo loc verb | coloquial (estar un poco loco) (colloquial) | have a screw loose v expr |
| | | be a few strings short of a racket v expr |
| | | be off your rocker v expr |
| | A ti te falta un tornillo. ¡Mira que ir a su casa a las tres de la mañana! |
| | You must have a screw loose. Why would you go to his house at three a.m.? |
| sin faltar a la verdad loc adv | (sin mentir) | not straying from the truth expr |
| | | honestly adv |
| | Los testigos dijeron lo que vieron sin faltar a la verdad. |