Perder

Perder is a Spanish verb with several related meanings centered on the idea of no longer having or obtaining something. It is used to indicate misplacing an object, failing to win or attend, or wasting something, as in perder las llaves, perder el tren, perder una oportunidad, or perder el tiempo. The reflexive form perderse means to get lost or to miss one’s way, and can also imply getting carried away or becoming distracted.

Conjugation and basic forms: Perder is a stem-changing -er verb. In the present indicative it changes e to ie in all forms except nosotros/vosotros: yo pierdo, tú pierdes, él/ella/usted pierde, nosotros perdemos, vosotros perdéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes pierden. The preterite is perdí, perdiste, perdió, perdimos, perdisteis, perdieron. The imperfect is perdía, perdías, perdía, perdíamos, perdíais, perdían. The present subjunctive is pierda, pierdas, pierda, perdamos, perdáis, pierdan. Imperatives are: pierde, no pierdas; pierda, perdamos, perded; no perdáis, pierdan. The past participle is perdido, and compound tenses use haber perdido. The reflexive form perderse appears as me pierdo, te pierdes, se pierde, nos perdemos, os perdéis, se pierden.

Usage notes and common expressions: Typical phrases include perder el tiempo (to waste time), perder peso (to lose weight), perderse (to get lost), perder una oportunidad (to miss an opportunity), perder la paciencia (to lose patience), and perder la cabeza (to lose one’s head). The verb also combines with prepositional phrases such as perder de vista (to lose sight of) and perderse en (to get lost in) ideas or details. Etymology traces to Latin perdere, meaning to destroy or ruin.