qu'est ce qui te manque

Question

is translated as what are you missing. i understand that if it is qu'est ce qui then what is the subject of yhe sentence, but dont understand how it gets to be what are you missing. i have looked at lesson on manquer and just getting further confused. there is a question here that is similay but i dont understand sorry

Accepted Answer

Hi Carol, 
This is the lesson on using the verb 'manquer' / to miss - to lack something which like 'plaire' has an odd construction -
Manquer (de) + thing = To miss / lack something

Qu'est-ce qui te manque ?  = What are you missing?
Qu'est-ce qui te plaît ? = What do you like / [Lit -what pleases you?
Pierre me manque énormément = I miss Pierre enormously
La france leur manque beaucoup = They miss France a lot

Hope these help!

Answer

This is a difficult area to get to grips with !
Manquer has a “reverse” meaning when used ‘figuratively’ for emotional missing - effectively in this structure with manquer, the subject is ‘lacking to’ the object. So ‘what (subject) is lacking to you (object)’ which translates to “what are you missing”. Another way is to approach it as the verb meaning ‘to be missed by’ - this would give the English translation as ‘what (subject) is being missed by you (object)’. 
Don’t restrict yourself to one explanation, especially in difficult areas that are still a struggle after doing the lesson. Try different descriptions to see if they help, another link below:
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/manquer-lesson/

Answer

What may be helpful is to think of manquer as "lacking from someone" (just as a kind of memory aid, not a valid translation):I miss you. -- Here "I" is the one doing the missing (subject) and "you" is the object being missed. This is how English usually works, but not French.You lack from me. -- Here "you" is the subject and "me" the indirect object. The meaning being: I miss you.Manquer in French works like the 2nd sentence. The thing that is being missed is actually the subject of the sentence.Tu me manques. -- You lack from me -- Hence, the meaning is: I miss you.Qu'est-ce qui te manque? -- Who is lacking from you? Hence: "who do you miss?"

Answer

actually the lesson was about qu'est-ce qui rather than manquer