Lose, miss and get lost
Perder = to lose (perdí las llaves) or to miss (perdí el tren). Perderse = to get lost (me perdí en Madrid) or to miss out on something (¡no te lo pierdas!, don't miss it!). Perder el tiempo = to waste time.
Indicative tenses of perder
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | pierdoI lose |
|---|---|
| tú | pierdesyou lose |
| él/ella/usted | pierdehe/she loses |
| nosotros/as | perdemoswe lose |
| vosotros/as | perdéisyou all lose |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pierdenthey lose |
Stem change e → ie, except for nosotros and vosotros: perdemos.
Preterite indicative
| yo | perdíI lost |
|---|---|
| tú | perdisteyou lost |
| él/ella/usted | perdióhe/she lost |
| nosotros/as | perdimoswe lost |
| vosotros/as | perdisteisyou all lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | perdieronthey lost |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | perdíaI used to lose |
|---|---|
| tú | perdíasyou used to lose |
| él/ella/usted | perdíahe/she used to lose |
| nosotros/as | perdíamoswe used to lose |
| vosotros/as | perdíaisyou all used to lose |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | perdíanthey used to lose |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy perdiendoI am losing |
|---|---|
| tú | estás perdiendoyou are losing |
| él/ella/usted | está perdiendohe/she is losing |
| nosotros/as | estamos perdiendowe are losing |
| vosotros/as | estáis perdiendoyou all are losing |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están perdiendothey are losing |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a perderI am going to lose |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a perderyou are going to lose |
| él/ella/usted | va a perderhe/she is going to lose |
| nosotros/as | vamos a perderwe are going to lose |
| vosotros/as | vais a perderyou all are going to lose |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a perderthey are going to lose |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | perderéI will lose |
|---|---|
| tú | perderásyou will lose |
| él/ella/usted | perderáhe/she will lose |
| nosotros/as | perderemoswe will lose |
| vosotros/as | perderéisyou all will lose |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | perderánthey will lose |
Conditional indicative
| yo | perderíaI would lose |
|---|---|
| tú | perderíasyou would lose |
| él/ella/usted | perderíahe/she would lose |
| nosotros/as | perderíamoswe would lose |
| vosotros/as | perderíaisyou all would lose |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | perderíanthey would lose |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he perdidoI have lost |
|---|---|
| tú | has perdidoyou have lost |
| él/ella/usted | ha perdidohe/she has lost |
| nosotros/as | hemos perdidowe have lost |
| vosotros/as | habéis perdidoyou all have lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han perdidothey have lost |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había perdidoI had lost |
|---|---|
| tú | habías perdidoyou had lost |
| él/ella/usted | había perdidohe/she had lost |
| nosotros/as | habíamos perdidowe had lost |
| vosotros/as | habíais perdidoyou all had lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían perdidothey had lost |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré perdidoI will have lost |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás perdidoyou will have lost |
| él/ella/usted | habrá perdidohe/she will have lost |
| nosotros/as | habremos perdidowe will have lost |
| vosotros/as | habréis perdidoyou all will have lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán perdidothey will have lost |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría perdidoI would have lost |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías perdidoyou would have lost |
| él/ella/usted | habría perdidohe/she would have lost |
| nosotros/as | habríamos perdidowe would have lost |
| vosotros/as | habríais perdidoyou all would have lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían perdidothey would have lost |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of perder
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | pierda(that) I lose |
|---|---|
| tú | pierdas(that) you lose |
| él/ella/usted | pierda(that) he/she loses |
| nosotros/as | perdamos(that) we lose |
| vosotros/as | perdáis(that) you all lose |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pierdan(that) they lose |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | perdiera(if) I lost |
|---|---|
| tú | perdieras(if) you lost |
| él/ella/usted | perdiera(if) he/she lost |
| nosotros/as | perdiéramos(if) we lost |
| vosotros/as | perdierais(if) you all lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | perdieran(if) they lost |
Future subjunctive
| yo | perdiere(if) I lose |
|---|---|
| tú | perdieres(if) you lose |
| él/ella/usted | perdiere(if) he/she loses |
| nosotros/as | perdiéremos(if) we lose |
| vosotros/as | perdiereis(if) you all lose |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | perdieren(if) they lose |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya perdido(that) I have lost |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas perdido(that) you have lost |
| él/ella/usted | haya perdido(that) he/she has lost |
| nosotros/as | hayamos perdido(that) we have lost |
| vosotros/as | hayáis perdido(that) you all have lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan perdido(that) they have lost |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera perdido(if) I had lost |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras perdido(if) you had lost |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera perdido(if) he/she had lost |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos perdido(if) we had lost |
| vosotros/as | hubierais perdido(if) you all had lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran perdido(if) they had lost |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere perdido(if) I will have lost |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres perdido(if) you will have lost |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere perdido(if) he/she will have lost |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos perdido(if) we will have lost |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis perdido(if) you all will have lost |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren perdido(if) they will have lost |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of perder
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | pierdelose! |
|---|---|
| usted | pierdalose! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | perdamoslet's lose! |
| vosotros/as | perdedlose! (you all) |
| ustedes | pierdanlose! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no pierdasdon't lose! |
|---|---|
| usted | no pierdadon't lose! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no perdamoslet's not lose! |
| vosotros/as | no perdáisdon't lose! (you all) |
| ustedes | no pierdandon't lose! (you all, formal) |
Practice perder
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and perder.
How to use perder
Siempre pierdo las llaves.
I always lose my keys.
Perdimos el avión.
We missed the plane.
Me perdí en el centro.
I got lost in the center.
Nuestro equipo perdió.
Our team lost.
No pierdas el tiempo.
Don't waste your time.
Example sentences with perder
- ¡No te lo pierdas!Don't miss it!
- He perdido mi móvil.I've lost my phone.
- Perdí el autobús.I missed the bus.
- Antes perdía todo.I used to lose everything.
- Si no corres, perderás el tren.If you don't run, you'll miss the train.
- ¿Qué perderías tú?What would you lose?
- Espero que no pierdan.I hope they don't lose.
- Nos perdimos por las calles de Sevilla.We got lost in the streets of Seville.
Verbs like perder
Like perder (pierdo), these verbs change e → ie in the present.
Frequently asked questions about perder
Is perder regular or irregular?
Perder is a stem-changing verb: e → ie in the present (pierdo), present subjunctive (pierda) and commands. All other tenses are regular.
How do you conjugate perder in the present tense?
pierdo, pierdes, pierde, perdemos, perdéis, pierden.
How do you conjugate perder in the preterite?
perdí, perdiste, perdió, perdimos, perdisteis, perdieron. The preterite is regular.
How do you say "to miss the bus" in Spanish?
Perder el autobús. For missing a person, use echar de menos or extrañar.
What is the difference between perder and perderse?
Perder = to lose or miss something. Perderse = to get lost, or to miss out on something fun.
What is the past participle of perder?
The past participle is perdido and the gerund is perdiendo.
Free cheat sheet
All 18 tenses of perder, on one page.
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