Perderse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb perderse means to get lost, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Perderse means to get lost, and it is used for losing your way in a city, missing a film or a chance, and losing a game. It is a stem-changing verb, e to ie, and it is one of the most useful reflexive verbs for travel, since every traveller gets lost sooner or later. Like every Spanish verb, perderse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad, and in the preterite you say me perdí entre las calles del barrio. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: perderse
  • English: to get lost
  • Verb type: irregular verb, reflexive, stem-changing (e → ie)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: perdiendo
  • Past participle: perdido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + perdido)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.
  • Stem change: e → ie in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for perderse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Perderse is a stem-changing verb (e to ie): yo me pierdo, tú te pierdes, but nosotros nos perdemos keeps the e.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for perderse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pierdo
tú te pierdes
él/ella/Ud. se pierde
nosotros/as nos perdemos
vosotros/as os perdéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pierden

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me perdí
tú te perdiste
él/ella/Ud. se perdió
nosotros/as nos perdimos
vosotros/as os perdisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se perdieron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me perdía
tú te perdías
él/ella/Ud. se perdía
nosotros/as nos perdíamos
vosotros/as os perdíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se perdían

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me perderé
tú te perderás
él/ella/Ud. se perderá
nosotros/as nos perderemos
vosotros/as os perderéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se perderán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me perdería
tú te perderías
él/ella/Ud. se perdería
nosotros/as nos perderíamos
vosotros/as os perderíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se perderían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he perdido
tú te has perdido
él/ella/Ud. se ha perdido
nosotros/as nos hemos perdido
vosotros/as os habéis perdido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han perdido

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había perdido
tú te habías perdido
él/ella/Ud. se había perdido
nosotros/as nos habíamos perdido
vosotros/as os habíais perdido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían perdido

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré perdido
tú te habrás perdido
él/ella/Ud. se habrá perdido
nosotros/as nos habremos perdido
vosotros/as os habréis perdido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán perdido

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría perdido
tú te habrías perdido
él/ella/Ud. se habría perdido
nosotros/as nos habríamos perdido
vosotros/as os habríais perdido
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían perdido

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me pierda
tú te pierdas
él/ella/Ud. se pierda
nosotros/as nos perdamos
vosotros/as os perdáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pierdan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me perdiera
tú te perdieras
él/ella/Ud. se perdiera
nosotros/as nos perdiéramos
vosotros/as os perdierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se perdieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te pierde
él/ella/Ud. se pierda
nosotros/as nos perdamos
vosotros/as os perded
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pierdan

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te pierdas
él/ella/Ud. se pierda
nosotros/as nos perdamos
vosotros/as os perdáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se pierdan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund perdiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy perdiendo (or me estoy perdiendo for this reflexive verb)
Past participle perdido with haber for the perfect tenses: he perdido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For perderse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me perdí por el camino al hotel. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me perdía entre las calles del barrio. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me perderé en el bosque sin mapa. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me perdería en el centro de la ciudad si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he perdido por el camino al hotel. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había perdido entre las calles del barrio antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré perdido en el bosque sin mapa. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría perdido en el centro de la ciudad con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For perderse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se pierda por el camino al hotel. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For perderse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se perdiera entre las calles del barrio, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For perderse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se pierda en el bosque sin mapa. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. This tense is irregular for this verb: the stem changes e → ie in the singular and third-person plural forms, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. For perderse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te pierdas en el centro de la ciudad. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with perderse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad. — I get lost in the city centre.
  2. Se pierde por el camino al hotel. — He/she gets lost on the way to the hotel.
  3. Ayer, me perdí entre las calles del barrio. — Yesterday, I got lost among the streets of the neighbourhood.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos perdíamos en el bosque sin mapa. — Before, we used to get lost in the forest without a map.
  5. Mañana, tú te perderás en el centro de la ciudad. — Tomorrow, you will get lost in the city centre.
  6. Yo me perdería por el camino al hotel si tuviera más tiempo. — I would get lost on the way to the hotel if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha perdido entre las calles del barrio. — He has got lost among the streets of the neighbourhood.
  8. Espero que él se pierda en el bosque sin mapa. — I hope he gets lost in the forest without a map.
  9. Yo ya me había perdido en el centro de la ciudad antes de salir. — I had already got lost in the city centre before leaving.
  10. Ellos se perdían por el camino al hotel cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to get lost on the way to the hotel when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo pierdo en el centro de la ciudad. — Right: Yo me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad. — Perderse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Yo perdo por el camino al hotel. — Right: Yo pierdo por el camino al hotel. — Perderse is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
  3. Wrong: Treating perderse and alejarse as identical in every context. — Right: Perderse means to get lost, while alejarse means to move away. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: perderse fits sentences such as Me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad, while alejarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy perdido por el camino al hotel. — Right: Yo he perdido por el camino al hotel. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he perdido, has perdido, ha perdido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo perdí entre las calles del barrio todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo perdía entre las calles del barrio todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (perdía), not the preterite. The preterite (perdí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on perderse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el centro de la ciudad. (present tense) A. me pierdo B. te pierdes C. se pierde D. nos perdemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ por el camino al hotel. (preterite) A. me perdí B. te perdiste C. se perdieron D. se perdió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ entre las calles del barrio. (imperfect) A. te perdías B. se perdían C. nos perdíamos D. me perdía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en el bosque sin mapa. (future) A. nos perderemos B. te perderás C. me perderé D. se perderá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en el centro de la ciudad si pudiera. (conditional) A. me perdería B. te perderías C. se perdería D. se perderían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ por el camino al hotel. (present subjunctive) A. me pierda B. te pierdas C. nos perdamos D. se pierda

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ entre las calles del barrio, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se perdiera B. nos perdiéramos C. me perdiera D. te perdieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en el bosque sin mapa. (present perfect) A. se han perdido B. nos hemos perdido C. me he perdido D. te has perdido

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en el centro de la ciudad. (negative imperative, tú) A. te pierdas B. se pierda C. nos perdamos D. os perdáis

  10. Which is the gerund of perderse, used with estar for the progressive? A. perdido B. pierdo C. perdí D. perdiendo

Answer key

  1. me pierdo — The first-person present of perderse is me pierdo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se perdió — The third-person preterite of perderse is se perdió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos perdíamos — The nosotros imperfect of perderse is nos perdíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te perderás — The second-person future of perderse is te perderás.
  5. me perdería — The first-person conditional of perderse is me perdería, the form for what would happen.
  6. se pierda — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of perderse is se pierda.
  7. me perdiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of perderse is me perdiera.
  8. nos hemos perdido — The nosotros present perfect of perderse is nos hemos perdido: hemos + perdido.
  9. te pierdas — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te pierdas.
  10. perdiendo — The gerund of perderse is perdiendo: estoy perdiendo. The participle perdido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does perderse mean in English?

Perderse means to get lost. It is used in everyday situations such as Me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is perderse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Perderse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad and él se pierde por el camino al hotel. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between perderse and alejarse?

Perderse means to get lost, while alejarse means to move away. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use perderse when you mean to get lost, as in Me pierdo en el centro de la ciudad, and use alejarse for to move away. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I get lost” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me perdí por el camino al hotel. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me perdía entre las calles del barrio. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he perdido por el camino al hotel.

How do I practise perderse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the perderse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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