perdió
/per-DYOH/
lost
The child lost (perdió) their favorite toy car.
perdió(verb)
lost
?(item, game, money)
forfeited
?contest
,wasted
?money/resources
📝 In Action
Mi hermana perdió su anillo en la playa.
A2My sister lost her ring on the beach.
El equipo perdió por un solo punto anoche.
A2The team lost by just one point last night.
¿Qué pasó? Él perdió todo el dinero en la apuesta.
B1What happened? He lost all the money on the bet.
💡 Grammar Points
Recognizing the Preterite Tense
The accent mark on the 'ó' tells you this is a completed action that happened at a specific moment in the past. It describes a sudden loss, not a habitual one.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing 'Perdió' and 'Perdía'
Mistake: "Using 'perdía' when the loss happened one time."
Correction: 'Perdió' (preterite) means the losing finished completely. 'Perdía' (imperfect) means they *used to* lose, or were *in the process* of losing.
⭐ Usage Tips
Loss of Non-Physical Things
You can use 'perdió' for feelings or concepts: 'Perdió la esperanza' (He lost hope) or 'Perdió la paciencia' (She lost patience).
This person missed (perdió) the bus by just a few seconds.
perdió(verb)
missed
?(transport, opportunity)
blew
?(a chance, informal)
📝 In Action
Llegó tarde y perdió el último autobús.
A2He arrived late and missed the last bus.
Ella perdió la oportunidad de trabajar en el extranjero.
B1She missed the opportunity to work abroad.
Usted perdió la fecha límite para entregar el informe.
B2You missed the deadline to hand in the report.
💡 Grammar Points
Using 'Perder' vs. 'Extrañar'
In Spanish, we use 'perder' (perdió) for missing physical objects or events (like a bus). We use 'extrañar' for missing a person or place (like a family member).
⭐ Usage Tips
The Meaning of Missing
If you missed a show or concert (didn't attend), use 'perdió'. If you failed to understand a point, use 'no entendió' (didn't understand).
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: perdió
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'perdió' to mean 'missed'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
If I want to say 'He got lost' (was lost), can I use 'perdió'?
Not usually! When talking about a person or thing getting physically lost, Spanish uses the reflexive form: 'Él se perdió' (He got lost). The simple 'perdió' only means he caused the loss or missed something.
Why does 'perdió' have an accent mark?
The accent mark is required to stress the last syllable (per-di-Ó) in the third person singular of the past tense (preterite). Without it, it would follow regular stress rules and sound like 'PER-dio', which is not correct.