"Yo no te hago falta"

Question

There is a song title "Yo no te hago falta". Hacer falta means "to be necessary", thus I think it means "I am not necessary to you" or more simply "you don't need me." Is this correct

Answer 1

You don't need me is correct.

It can mean "you don't miss me" but in the context of the song, it's "need".

Yo no te hago falta,
ni antes ni despues
tu no sientes nada,
es triste saber.

You don't need me
neither before nor after
you don't feel anything
it's sad to know.

Just for additional clarity, I've added Lazarus' post from another forum.

• Me haces falta (tú) -> I need you a lot
• Me hace falta (él/ella) -> I need him/her a lot
• Me hacéis falta (vosotros/vosotras) -> I need you (guys) a lot
• Me hacen falta (ellos/ellas) -> I need them a lot
• Te hago falta (yo) -> You need me a lot
• Te hace falta (él/ella) -> You need him/her a lot
• Te hacemos falta (nosotros/nosotras) -> You need us a lot
• Te hacen falta (ellos/ellas) -> You need them a lot
• Le hago falta (yo) (a él/ella)-> He/she needs me a lot
• Le haces falta (tú) (a él/ella) -> He/she needs you a lot
• Le hace falta (él/ella) (a él/ella) -> He/she needs him/her a lot
• Le hacemos falta (nosotros/nosotras) (a él/ella) -> He/she needs us a lot
• Le hacéis falta (vosotros/vosotras) (a él/ella) -> He/she needs you (guys) a lot
• Le hacen falta (ellos/ellas) (a él/ella)-> He/she needs them a lot

Fantastic list for a idiomatic expression that is (to me) very convoluted. Thx. - gringojrf, Dec 28, 2011

Answer 2

RiverPhoenix, that is exactly why I asked the question. But I started with the verb hago which is first person singular so "hago falta" means "I am necessary", then I added the negative. "I am not necessary (needed). Then the direct object pronoun "te" and arrived at "I am not necessary to you" The "yo" is only there for clarification and lyrical timing, it is not needed.

But I could be wrong which is why I asked the question.

"te hago falta" = you need/miss me, so obviously "no te hago falta" = you don't need/miss me. You're thinking is correct. - Jack-OBrien, Dec 28, 2011

"Your thinking" = Thinking that belongs to you. "You're thinking" = You are thinking. - Naomi_Callas, Jan 8, 2012

Answer 3

Everyone must be out tonight. I think your reasoning is good, but I'm not a native speaker either. I give you a vote and hope to see some definite answer.

Answer 4

Hi!!

"Yo no te hago falta" means "You don't miss me". =)

Bye!!

Hola Alviva :) Bienvenido al foro SpanishDict Tienes la misma fecha de cumpleaños como yo - FELIZ77, Jan 8, 2012

....aparte del hecho que el año es diferente jejeje - FELIZ77, Jan 8, 2012

Answer 5

The simplest, most concise form is, "You don't miss me."

Answer 6

I believe that "no te hago falta" means "you dont miss me"...hacer falta is an idomatic expression that means "to miss", "hago falta" means "i miss/lack" and so "te hago falta" is "you miss me" the presence of "no" negates that.

Answer 7

I might be totally having a grammar-mishap... but wouldn't this sentence better translate to I don't need / miss you??

I'm not 100% sure about this, but to me it seems like if you break down the sentence Yo no te hago falta; the subject is "yo" and the direct object is "te" (tú)...

so the direct object "te" is directly receiving the action of the verb phrase "hacer falta (= to be lacking; to need; to be necessary; to miss). Meaning that if you ask yourself the question what or whom is needed (or in this sentence, not needed); the answer is "you" (te).

So, I translated the sentence as meaning "I don't need you"

Am I completely missing the mark?

Yes, I had exactly the same response (but I was too cowardly to ask). - ajaks, Dec 28, 2011