perder Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
perder — to lose
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'perdier-' stem: perdiera, perdieras, perdiera, perdiéramos, perdierais, perdieran.
perder Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use for hypothetical 'if' situations or past-tense triggers of doubt/emotion.
Notes on perder in the Imperfect Subjunctive
It is based on the preterite third-person plural (perdieron). It does not have an e-to-ie change.
Example Sentences
Si perdiera mi teléfono, estaría triste.
If I lost my phone, I would be sad.
yo
No quería que perdiéramos el tiempo.
I didn't want us to waste time.
nosotros
Si perdieran el vuelo, tendrían problemas.
If they lost (missed) the flight, they would have problems.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'pierdiera'.
Correct: perdiera
Why: The imperfect subjunctive is built from the preterite stem, which is 'perder-', not the stem-changed 'pierder-'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: pierdo
Perder is an e-to-ie stem-changing verb (pierdo, pierdes, pierde, pierden) except for nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: perdí
The preterite of perder is regular: perdí, perdiste, perdió, perdimos, perdisteis, perdieron.
Imperfect
yo: perdía
The imperfect of perder is regular: perdía, perdías, perdía, perdíamos, perdíais, perdían.
Future
yo: perderé
The future of perder is regular: perderé, perderás, perderá, perderemos, perderéis, perderán.
Conditional
yo: perdería
The conditional of perder is regular: perdería, perderías, perdería, perderíamos, perderíais, perderían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: pierda
The present subjunctive follows the e-to-ie change: pierda, pierdas, pierda, perdamos, perdáis, pierdan.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: pierde
Direct commands to lose or not lose: pierde (tú), pierda (usted), perdamos (nosotros), perded (vosotros), pierdan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no pierdas
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive: no pierdas, no pierda, no perdamos, no perdáis, no pierdan.