Hacerle Falta / Carecer

[Bobbert]

Our city lacks affordable housing

1. Are either of these attempts below grammatically correct?

2. Can both "Hacerle Falta" and "Carecer" be used to convey "To Lack" in this sentence?

Nuestra ciudad carece de viviendas asequibles

Nuestra ciudad le hacen falta viviendas asequibles

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Answers below:

Originally Posted by Bobbert

Our city lacks affordable housing

1. Are either of these attempts below grammatically correct? Yes, they mostly are.

2. Can both "Hacerle Falta" and "Carecer" be used to convey "To Lack" in this sentence? Absolutely.

Nuestra ciudad carece de viviendas asequibles

A nuestra ciudad le hacen falta viviendas asequibles
* You need "a", because "hacerle falta algo a alguien" has a construction similar to "gustarle algo a alguien". What the city lacks (affordable housing) is the Direct Object, and the city is the Indirect Object.

[Bobbert]

Thank you, AngelicadeAlquezar. That clears it up for me.

[Tyrn]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

A nuestra ciudad le hacen falta viviendas asequibles.

What about A nuestra ciudad le faltan viviendas asequibles?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

That's correct too, Tyrn.


@Bobbert: I made a mistake:

A nuestra ciudad le hacen falta viviendas asequibles
* You need "a", because "hacerle falta algo a alguien" has a construction similar to "gustarle algo a alguien". What the city lacks (affordable housing) is the SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE, and the city is the Indirect Object


Sorry.

[Tyrn]

Not just correct (le faltan), but means exactly the same thing?

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by Tyrn

Not just correct (le faltan), but means exactly the same thing?

That leads you to a philosophical linguistic question. Does a synonym ever mean the *exact* same thing as another synonym?

But to answer your question, both "le faltan" and "carecen de" mean basically the same thing. If I had to describe a difference, I think the second might sound like a slightly higher register or a little more professional.

But there are differences too. For example, if something has been stolen, you would use faltar, not carecer to describe that.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree with Tomísimo. Context is everything.


As a speaker, "carecer de" describes for me some sort of an inherent quality that is by definition hard to modify, while "faltar" describes more a defect that can be fixed more easily.
Yet, it will all depend on the situation where these sentences are said; it's not the same to state it as a formal complaint, a proposal or just an informal opinion.

[Bobbert]

AngelicadeAlquezar, There is no need to be sorry. I made the correction in my notebook.

[Tyrn]

Thanks! Very interesting.

Actually I asked about another thing: is there any difference between le hacen falta and le faltan.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Bobbert.

@Tyrn: In this context, they both mean mostly the same thing, but they aren't interchangeable in other sentences.

- Hace falta revisar el coche antes de salir. Falta revisar el coche antes de salir.
-> The first sentence expresses we must check the car before driving, but in the other we're saying we still have (among other activities) to check the car before leaving.

- Nos hacen falta voluntarios para la encuesta. Nos faltan voluntarios para la encuesta.
-> Depending on what the speaker has in mind and the context, both sentences may mean the same, like the OP's example.
However, in another context, the first sentence may actually mean that we don't have any volunteers to help with the survey, and the second that we already have some volunteers, but we need more.

-Hace falta que los políticos cooperen para solucionar el problema. Falta que los políticos cooperen para solucionar el problema.
-> The first sentence is stating the need for the politicians to work together to solve a problem (they're probably not expressed a desire to do so though), while the second one states that they're unlikely to do it, even if their speeches say they're planning to do it.

So (take this with a grain of salt), vaguely speaking, if you say "faltar" you're thinking mostly about something that is missing, and if you use "hacer falta" you're rather expressing a need or a duty.

[Tyrn]

Thanks! The dictionary definitions make a rather stark difference between hacer falta (to need) and faltar (to be missing); that's why I asked the question when it turned out that in a certain context they blur together.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Well, thinking closer, affordable housing is both a need and something that is missing in our cities.

[poli]

Can you use hacer falta to mean extrañar?

[Rusty]

@poli: Yes. You can use any of the following, based on what others say in the region.
Te extraño.
Te echo de menos.
Me haces falta.

[poli]

Thanks Rusty.

I have never heard te carezco used. Is this an example where the meanings of hacer falta and carecer diverge?

[Rusty]

I've heard carezco de ti before, and it seemed to mean the same thing as me haces falta. A ver qué dicen los hispanohablantes.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I've never seen it used that way, but it may well be a regional expression or a poetic construction. Completely understandable in context.
Anyway, "carezco" is not a strange conjugation.

- Carezco de principios, así que no me importa lo que hagas.
I don't have any principles, so I don't care what you do.
- Necesito la beca porque carezco de recursos para pagar la escuela.
I need the scholarship because I can't afford school.
- Me corrieron de la empresa porque me dijeron que carezco de ambición.
I was fired from the company because they said I lack ambition.
- No sé cómo arreglar la computadora. Carezco de la preparación técnica para hacerlo.
I can't fix the computer. I lack the technical knowledge to do it.
- No puedo llamar a la policía porque carezco de pruebas de que tú te robaste el dinero.
I can't call the police because I don't have proof that you stole the money.

[Tyrn]

Are necesito dos hojas de papel and me hacen falta dos hojas de papel equal?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Yes, as long as the context doesn't imply anything else.