Inklingo

How to Say "to waste" in Spanish

English → Spanish

perder

/pehr-DEHR//peɾˈdeɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'perder' when referring to the loss or squandering of time, money, or abstract resources.
A cartoon figure sitting idly on a park bench, letting several paper bills float away from their open hand into the wind, symbolizing wasted money.

Examples

No pierdas tu tiempo con ese videojuego.

Don't waste your time with that video game.

Perdió todo su dinero en malas inversiones.

He wasted all his money on bad investments.

Estamos perdiendo una cantidad enorme de agua por la fuga.

We are wasting a huge amount of water because of the leak.

gastar

/gahs-TAHR//ɡasˈtaɾ/

verbB1general
Use 'gastar' when talking about using up or consuming something, especially resources like energy, money, or battery power, often to the point of depletion.
A tall, clear drinking glass standing on a surface, containing only a single drop of water at the bottom, symbolizing a resource being used up.

Examples

No gastes la batería del móvil mirando videos.

Don't waste the phone battery watching videos.

Gastamos mucha energía en calentar la casa.

We use a lot of energy heating the house.

Es una pena gastar tanto tiempo esperando.

It's a shame to waste so much time waiting.

Wasting Effort

When talking about effort or energy, 'gastar' often implies that the resource was used inefficiently or without good results.

Gastar vs. Perder

Learners often confuse 'gastar' and 'perder' when talking about time. While you can 'perder tiempo' (waste time, implying it's lost or unproductive), you wouldn't typically 'gastar tiempo' unless you mean consuming it on something specific, like a task. Focus on 'perder' for general wasted time.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.