Spanish Phrase
¿Qué nos falta?
Meaning
Literally, “What is missing to us?” In everyday Spanish it means “What are we missing?” or “What do we still need?” and is used to check what items, steps, or information are still absent.
When to use
Use this question when you’re reviewing a checklist (shopping, travel packing, project tasks), cooking a recipe and want to know what ingredients are still needed, or when a group is planning something together and wants to know what’s still required.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Quénosfalta
Qué (interrogative pronoun)
Used to ask about something unknown; always carries an accent when it functions as a question word.
nos (indirect object pronoun)
Indicates that the action of the verb affects 'us' (to us).
falta (verb faltar)
Third‑person singular of 'faltar', which works like 'to be missing' or 'to lack'. The thing that is missing is the subject, while the person(s) who lack it are expressed with an indirect object pronoun.
🗨In Conversation
¿Qué nos falta para terminar la presentación?
What do we still need to finish the presentation?
Solo faltan los últimos gráficos y la conclusión.
We only need the final charts and the conclusion.
✕Common Mistakes
Que nos falta?
Missing the accent on 'Qué' turns it into a conjunction meaning 'that', which changes the sentence into a statement.
¿Qué nos faltan?
Use 'falta' when the missing thing is singular; 'nos faltan' would be correct only if the subject (what is missing) is plural, e.g., 'Nos faltan los documentos'.
¿Qué nos falta??
Do not add an extra question mark at the end; Spanish uses only one opening and one closing question mark.
↔Alternatives
¿Qué nos hace falta?
What do we lack?
¿Qué nos falta por hacer?
What do we still have to do?
¿Qué falta?
What’s missing?
Cultural Tip
In many Latin American countries '¿Qué nos falta?' is the go‑to phrase for checking missing items, while in Spain speakers often prefer '¿Qué nos hace falta?'. Both are correct; the latter adds the verb 'hacer' and sounds slightly more formal. Remember that 'faltar' agrees with the thing that is missing, not with the people who lack it, so you say 'Faltan dos sillas' (Two chairs are missing) but 'Nos falta una silla' (We are missing one chair).