Learn German: Manche Leute fehlen heute. - Some people are missing today.

Manche means some or a few. It is an indefinite pronoun that changes its ending based on the noun it describes. Because Leute (people) is plural and acts as the subject (nominative case) of this sentence, manche takes the plural nominative ending -e.

Could I use einige instead of manche in this sentence?

Yes, absolutely! Both manche and einige mean some or a few, and they both take the same -e ending here. Manche can sometimes feel slightly more specific, but in everyday German, Einige Leute fehlen heute means the exact same thing.

I thought fehlen had something to do with making a mistake. Why does it mean are missing here?

You might be thinking of the noun der Fehler, which means the mistake. The verb fehlen actually means to be absent or to be missing. It is the standard word used in schools or workplaces to say that someone did not show up.

Is Manche Leute considered one position for the verb placement rules?

Yes. In a regular German statement, the verb (fehlen) must be in the second position. The entire subject phrase Manche Leute acts together as position one, keeping the verb right where it belongs in position two.