How to Say "to lose" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to lose” is “perder” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Siempre pierdo mis llaves.
I always lose my keys.
¿Perdiste tu teléfono otra vez?
Did you lose your phone again?
Ten cuidado, no vayas a perder el pasaporte.
Be careful, don't lose the passport.
The 'Boot' Verb Transformation
Notice how the 'e' in 'perder' changes to 'ie' in some forms (like 'pierdo'), but not in others ('perdemos'). This happens for 'yo', 'tú', 'él', and 'ellos' forms, which make a shape like a boot on a chart. It's a common pattern in Spanish!
Forgetting the 'e' to 'ie' change
Mistake: “Yo perdo mis llaves.”
Correction: Yo pierdo mis llaves. Remember that in the present tense, for most subjects, the vowel 'e' changes to 'ie'.
Other Meanings of “perder”
“perder” can also mean:
- a game, competition, or election(A2)
Related Translations
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