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perdí

per-DEE/peɾˈdi/

I lost

Also: I misplaced
Verb (Preterite Tense, Yo form)A1Irregular (stem-changing E→IE in the present tense) er
A child looking sad while searching for a lost toy on the ground.
infinitiveperder
gerundperdiendo
past Participleperdido

📝 In Action

¡Qué pena, perdí mis llaves en el parque!

A1

What a shame, I lost my keys in the park!

Ayer compré un billete de lotería y perdí todo mi dinero.

A2

Yesterday I bought a lottery ticket and I lost all my money.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • extravié (I misplaced)
  • despilfarré (I wasted (money/resources))

Antonyms

  • encontré (I found)
  • gané (I won/earned)

Common Collocations

  • perdí el control – I lost control
  • perdí la cabeza – I lost my mind

Idioms & Expressions

  • perdí el norte – I lost my bearings/direction (metaphorically)

I lost

Verb (Preterite Tense, Yo form)A2Irregular (stem-changing E→IE in the present tense) er
Two cartoon animals in a race. One cheers at the finish line while the other, far behind, looks disappointed.

📝 In Action

Jugué contra el campeón de ajedrez y, como era de esperar, perdí.

A2

I played against the chess champion and, as expected, I lost.

No importa que perdí, me divertí mucho en el torneo.

A2

It doesn't matter that I lost, I had a lot of fun in the tournament.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • fui derrotado (I was defeated)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • perdí por poco – I barely lost

I missed

Also: I blew
Verb (Preterite Tense, Yo form)B1Irregular (stem-changing E→IE in the present tense) er
A frustrated person watching a large yellow bus pull away from the stop, having missed it.

📝 In Action

Llegué cinco minutos tarde al aeropuerto y perdí el vuelo.

B1

I arrived five minutes late to the airport and missed the flight.

Tenía una gran oportunidad de trabajo, pero la perdí.

B1

I had a great job opportunity, but I missed it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • falté (I failed to attend (context: missing class))

Common Collocations

  • perdí la cita – I missed the appointment
  • perdí el tiempo – I wasted time

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedpierde
yopierdo
túpierdes
ellos/ellas/ustedespierden
nosotrosperdemos
vosotrosperdéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedperdía
yoperdía
túperdías
ellos/ellas/ustedesperdían
nosotrosperdíamos
vosotrosperdíais

preterite

él/ella/ustedperdió
yoperdí
túperdiste
ellos/ellas/ustedesperdieron
nosotrosperdimos
vosotrosperdisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedpierda
yopierda
túpierdas
ellos/ellas/ustedespierdan
nosotrosperdamos
vosotrosperdáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedperdiera
yoperdiera
túperdieras
ellos/ellas/ustedesperdieran
nosotrosperdiéramos
vosotrosperdierais
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "perdí" in Spanish:

i lost→i misplaced→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: perdí

Question 1 of 1

Which of these sentences correctly uses 'perdí' to mean 'I missed' a transport?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
vivísentí
📚 Etymology▼

The infinitive 'perder' comes from the Latin verb 'perdere,' which meant 'to ruin' or 'to throw away.' Over time, its meaning shifted primarily to 'fail to keep' or 'to suffer loss.'

First recorded: Old Spanish texts (c. 13th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: perdiFrench: perdre

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'perdí' considered part of an irregular verb if it looks regular in the past tense?

The verb 'perder' is considered irregular because its stem changes in the present tense (e.g., yo *pierdo*). However, when you use the simple past tense ('perdí'), the stem change goes away, and it behaves exactly like a regular '-er' verb! So 'perdí' itself is a very easy form to learn.

If I want to say 'I lost myself' or 'I got lost', should I use 'perdí'?

No. When talking about getting lost or losing your way, you need the reflexive form, 'perderse.' In the past tense, you would say 'Me perdí' (I got lost) or 'Me perdí en la ciudad' (I got lost in the city).