faltarvssobrar
/fahl-TAR/
/soh-BRAR/
💡 Quick Rule
Faltar = what's missing. Sobrar = what's left over.
Think: 'Faltar' is for a 'failure' to have enough. 'Sobrar' is for a 'surplus'.
- The phrase 'faltar al respeto' means 'to disrespect', which is a bit idiomatic.
- 'Sobrar' can be used to say a person is unwanted or 'in the way' (e.g., 'Siento que sobro aquí').
📊 Comparison Table
| Context | faltar | sobrar | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counting items | Faltan dos sillas. | Sobran dos sillas. | Faltar for what you need (we're two chairs short). Sobrar for what you have extra (there are two extra chairs). |
| Cooking | A la sopa le falta sal. | A la sopa le sobra sal. | Use 'le' to refer to the food. Faltar means it needs more salt; sobrar means it has too much. |
| Time management | Me falta tiempo para hacerlo. | Me sobra tiempo para hacerlo. | Describes your personal supply of time. 'Me falta' = I'm running out of time. 'Me sobra' = I have plenty of time. |
| Personal qualities | Le falta paciencia. | Le sobra confianza. | Used to describe having too little of a good quality (patience) or too much of another (confidence). |
✅ When to Use "faltar" / sobrar
faltar
To be missing, to lack, to be needed
/fahl-TAR/
To say something is missing
Falta un plato en la mesa.
A plate is missing from the table.
To express a need (what you lack)
Me falta dinero para el viaje.
I'm short on money for the trip.
To indicate remaining time
Faltan cinco minutos para la clase.
There are five minutes left until the class.
To mention absence (not attending)
Juan faltó al trabajo hoy.
Juan was absent from work today.
sobrar
To be left over, to be in excess, to be spare
/soh-BRAR/
To say something is left over
Sobró mucha comida de la fiesta.
A lot of food was left over from the party.
To express an excess (what you have too much of)
Me sobra tiempo para terminar.
I have more than enough time to finish.
To indicate something is unnecessary or spare
Trajiste tres paraguas, ¡sobran dos!
You brought three umbrellas, two are spare!
To say someone is not needed or in the way
Siento que sobro en esta conversación.
I feel like I'm not needed in this conversation.
🔄 Contrast Examples
With "faltar":
Faltan dos personas.
Two people are missing.
With "sobrar":
Sobran dos sillas.
There are two extra chairs.
The Difference: Faltar focuses on what is absent (the guests), while sobrar focuses on what is in excess (the chairs). They describe the same situation from opposite perspectives.
With "faltar":
Le falta azúcar al postre.
The dessert needs more sugar. (It's lacking sugar.)
With "sobrar":
Le sobra azúcar al postre.
The dessert has too much sugar.
The Difference: Both sentences describe the dessert's flavor. Faltar points out a deficiency (not enough), while sobrar points out an excess (too much).
With "faltar":
Nos falta motivación.
We lack motivation.
With "sobrar":
Nos sobra motivación.
We have motivation to spare.
The Difference: These are direct opposites describing the amount of an abstract quality. 'Falta' means you don't have enough; 'sobra' means you have more than enough.
🎨 Visual Comparison
Faltar is for what's missing; sobrar is for what's extra.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Yo falto dinero.
Me falta dinero.
Faltar works like gustar. The thing that is missing ('dinero') is the subject. The person it's missing from gets an indirect object pronoun like 'me', 'te', or 'le'.
La comida sobra a mí.
Me sobra la comida.
Like faltar, sobrar uses indirect object pronouns ('me', 'te', 'le', etc.) to show who has the excess. The pronoun goes before the verb.
Faltan cinco minutos restantes.
Faltan cinco minutos.
In this context, 'faltan' already means 'are remaining', so adding 'restantes' (remaining) is redundant. You can also say 'Quedan cinco minutos'.
📚 Related Grammar
Want to understand the grammar behind this pair? Explore these lessons for a deep dive:
🏷️ Key Words
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: Faltar vs Sobrar
Question 1 of 3
If you have 10 tickets but 12 friends are coming, which sentence is correct?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do 'faltar' and 'sobrar' use 'me', 'te', 'le' instead of 'yo', 'tú', 'él'?
Great question! They work like the verb 'gustar'. The thing that is missing or leftover is the grammatical subject, and the person affected is the indirect object. So, 'Me falta dinero' literally means 'Money is lacking to me'. It takes some getting used to, but it's a common pattern in Spanish.
Can I use 'faltar' to say I missed the bus?
No, that's a different kind of 'missing'. To say you missed a bus, train, or an opportunity, you should use the verb 'perder'. For example, 'Perdí el autobús' (I missed the bus). 'Faltar' is for being absent from a place, like 'Falté a la reunión' (I was absent from the meeting).