Breakdown of Faltam-nos as empadas e os croquetes.
e
and
nos
us
faltar
to be missing / to skip
a empada
the savory pie
o croquete
the croquette
Questions & Answers about Faltam-nos as empadas e os croquetes.
Why is the verb plural (faltam) if "we" (nos) are the ones missing the food?
Faltar is a dative-experiencer verb. This means the things that are missing (as empadas e os croquetes) act as the grammatical subject, forcing the verb into the plural. The people who experience the lack ("we") are the indirect object (-nos). Literally, it translates to "The pies and croquettes are lacking to us."
Could I say Nós faltamos... instead of Faltam-nos...?
No, because that changes the meaning entirely! If you make "we" the subject by saying Nós faltamos, it means "We are absent" or "We didn't show up." To express that you are the one lacking something, you must use the indirect object pronoun -nos and conjugate the verb for the items you lack.
Why is the pronoun placed after the verb here?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns default to attaching to the end of the verb with a hyphen in affirmative main clauses. Since there is no "magnet" word at the start of the sentence (like a negative word or a relative pronoun) to pull the pronoun before the verb, -nos stays at the end of Faltam.
Could I use fazem-nos falta instead of faltam-nos for this sentence?
Yes, you could say Fazem-nos falta as empadas e os croquetes. Both express that the items are missing. However, fazer falta often implies a stronger sense of needing or emotionally missing something, while faltar is often used for a simple factual absence, like noticing things are missing from a party spread or a grocery bag.
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