Perder Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Perder (to lose, to miss) is a very common Spanish verb and it is irregular: it belongs to the -er verbs with an e→ie stem change in the stressed forms (pierdo, pierdes, pierde, pierden), while in nosotros and vosotros and in tenses like the preterite, imperfect or future the stem stays regular (perdemos, perdí, perderé). The participle is regular: perdido.

Indicative Tenses of Perder

Perder in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Siempre pierdo las llaves (I always lose my keys).

Present tense rules →

Perder in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer perdí el autobús de las ocho (Yesterday I missed the eight o'clock bus).

Preterite rules →

Perder in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he perdido el partido por la mínima (Today I lost the game by the narrowest margin).

Present perfect rules →

Perder in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De pequeño perdía siempre los guantes (As a kid I always lost my gloves).

Imperfect rules →

Perder in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegué, ya había perdido el tren (When I arrived, I had already missed the train).

Past perfect rules →

Perder in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Si no corres, perderás el avión (If you don't run, you'll miss the plane).

Future tense rules →

Perder in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para el verano ya habré perdido la cuenta de las veces (By summer I will have lost count of the times).

Future perfect rules →

Perder in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo no perdería el tiempo con eso (I wouldn't waste my time on that).

Conditional rules →

Perder in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría perdido el tren si no me avisas (I would have missed the train if you hadn't warned me).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Perder

Present Subjunctive of Perder (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: No quiero que pierdas la esperanza (I don't want you to lose hope).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Perder (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que no hayas perdido el documento (I hope you haven't lost the document).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Perder (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si perdieras el miedo, lo conseguirías (If you let go of your fear, you would do it).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Perder (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras perdido el tren, te habría llevado yo (If you had missed the train, I would have driven you).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Perder

Affirmative Commands of Perder (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Pierde el miedo y habla! (Lose your fear and speak!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Perder (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No pierdas la calma (Don't lose your cool).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Perder

• Perder el tiempo - to waste time on something useless
• Perder el tren / perder el autobús - to miss the train/bus; to miss an opportunity
• Perder la cabeza - to lose one's mind, to act irrationally
• Echar a perder - to spoil or ruin something
• No tener nada que perder - to have nothing to lose