Perder Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

perder — to lose — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Perder means to lose and to miss: perder las llaves, perder el autobús, perder el tiempo. It is an e → ie stem-changing verb (pierdo, pierdes, pierde). Perder also means to waste: no pierdas el tiempo. On this page you will find perder in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with perder

In the present tense

  • “Yo pierdo las llaves a menudo.” — “I often lose my keys.”
  • “Ella pierde el autobús casi siempre.” — “She almost always misses the bus.”
  • “Nosotros perdemos mucho tiempo en reuniones.” — “We waste a lot of time in meetings.”
  • “Ellos pierden dinero con la crisis.” — “They lose money because of the crisis.”
  • “¿Tú pierdes la paciencia con facilidad?” — “Do you lose patience easily?”
  • “Vosotros perdéis el tiempo con tonterías.” — “You waste time on silly things.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo perdí mi cartera en el taxi.” — “Yesterday I lost my wallet in the taxi.”
  • “Ella perdió el tren por cinco minutos.” — “She missed the train by five minutes.”
  • “Nosotros perdimos el partido en el último minuto.” — “We lost the match in the last minute.”
  • “Ellos perdieron sus entradas en el metro.” — “They lost their tickets on the underground.”
  • “¿Tú perdiste las gafas otra vez?” — “Did you lose your glasses again?”
  • “El equipo perdió la final el año pasado.” — “The team lost the final last year.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo perdía las llaves a menudo.” — “As a child, I used to lose my keys often.”
  • “Mañana, yo perderé las llaves a menudo.” — “Tomorrow, I will lose my keys often.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo perdería las llaves a menudo.” — “If I could, I would lose my keys often.”
  • “Yo he perdido las llaves a menudo.” — “I have lost my keys often.”

Perder in context

Cada día, yo pierdo las llaves a menudo. Mi amigo también pierde las llaves a menudo cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo pierdo las llaves de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de perder es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo perdí las llaves a menudo. Mi amigo perdió las llaves a menudo también, y por la noche yo perdí las llaves otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de perder aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with perder

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo perdo las llaves.

Right: Yo pierdo las llaves.

Perder changes e to ie: pierdo, not perdo.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Perder a el autobús — wrong construction.

Right: Ella pierde el autobús.

To miss the bus is perder el autobús, with no preposition.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem instead of the changed stem.

Right: Use the changed stem in the stressed forms: pierdo.

The e → ie stem change applies to perder in the present — the yo form is pierdo, not the infinitive stem.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Treating perder as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present pierdo, preterite perdí.

perder is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: perder in everyday use

Ten questions on perder across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of perder in the present tense?

  • A) pierdo
  • B) pierdes
  • C) pierde
  • D) perdemos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is pierdo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of perder in the present tense?

  • A) pierdo
  • B) pierdes
  • C) perdemos
  • D) pierde

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is pierde.

3. What is the yo form of perder in the preterite?

  • A) perdió
  • B) perdimos
  • C) perdí
  • D) perdiste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is perdí.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of perder in the preterite?

  • A) perdió
  • B) perdieron
  • C) perdí
  • D) perdiste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is perdieron.

5. What is the yo form of perder in the imperfect?

  • A) perdía
  • B) perdías
  • C) perdía
  • D) perdíamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is perdía.

6. What is the tú form of perder in the future?

  • A) perderé
  • B) perderá
  • C) perderemos
  • D) perderás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is perderás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of perder in the conditional?

  • A) perderías
  • B) perderíamos
  • C) perdería
  • D) perdería

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is perdería.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of perder in the present perfect?

  • A) ha perdido
  • B) hemos perdido
  • C) he perdido
  • D) has perdido

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos perdido.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ las llaves a menudo.” (I often lose my keys.)

  • A) pierdo
  • B) pierdes
  • C) pierde
  • D) perdemos

Answer: A — The sentence needs pierdo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo pierdo las llaves.
  • B) Yo perdo las llaves.

Answer: A — Perder changes e to ie: pierdo, not perdo.

Frequently asked questions

What does perder mean?

perder means “to lose” in English. Perder means to lose and to miss: perder las llaves, perder el autobús, perder el tiempo. It is an e → ie stem-changing verb (pierdo, pierdes, pierde). Perder also means to waste: no pierdas el tiempo.

Is perder regular?

No. perder is an e → ie stem-changing irregular -er verb (irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use perder in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — perdí, perdiste, perdió — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — perdía, perdías, perdía — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to perder as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise perder?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Perder Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for perder to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo pierdo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo perdí…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo perderé…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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