perdre Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

perdre — lose — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. perdre is the verb for talking about losing things: it comes up whenever you talk about describing a match or losing time. On this page you will find perdre 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 perdre

In the present tense

  • “Je perds mes clés.” — “I lose my keys.”
  • “Tu perds le match.” — “You lose the match.”
  • “Il perd du temps.” — “He loses some time.”
  • “Nous perdons patience.” — “We lose patience.”
  • “Vous perdez mes clés.” — “You lose my keys.”
  • “Ils perdent le match.” — “They lose the match.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai perdu mes clés cette semaine.” — “I have lost my keys this week.”
  • “Tu as perdu le match cette semaine.” — “You have lost the match this week.”
  • “Il a perdu du temps cette semaine.” — “He has lost some time this week.”
  • “Nous avons perdu patience cette semaine.” — “We have lost patience this week.”
  • “Vous avez perdu mes clés cette semaine.” — “You have lost my keys this week.”
  • “Ils ont perdu le match cette semaine.” — “They have lost the match this week.”

In other tenses

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

  • “Je perdais mes clés avant.” — “I used to lose my keys before.”
  • “Je perdrai le match demain.” — “I will lose the match tomorrow.”
  • “Je perdrais du temps un jour.” — “I would lose some time one day.”
  • “Bien que il perde patience” — “Although he loses patience.”

perdre in context

Je perds mes clés. Tu perds le match. Il perd du temps. Nous perdons patience.

I lose my keys. You lose the match. He loses some time. We lose patience.

J'ai perdu mes clés. Il a perdu le match. Nous avons perdu du temps.

I have lost my keys this week. He has lost the match this week. We have lost some time this week.

Common mistakes with perdre

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je perdre mes clés.

Right: Je perds mes clés.

The infinitive never takes a subject: after je you need the conjugated form perds.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je perdons le match.

Right: Je perds le match.

perdons is the nous form. With je, use perds.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je perds du temps.

Right: Hier, j'ai perdu du temps.

Yesterday needs the passé composé ai perdu, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je perds patience.

Right: Bien que je perde patience.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive perde.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je perdais mes clés hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'ai perdu mes clés hier.

The imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated past. One finished moment yesterday takes the passé composé.

Quiz: test yourself on perdre

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

  1. What is the tu form of perdre in the Present indicative?

    • A) perdez
    • B) perd
    • C) perdent
    • D) perds

  2. What is the nous form of perdre in the Present indicative?

    • A) perds
    • B) perdons
    • C) perdez
    • D) perd

  3. What is the il/elle form of perdre in the Present perfect?

    • A) as perdu
    • B) a perdu
    • C) avez perdu
    • D) ai perdu

  4. What is the je form of perdre in the Imperfect?

    • A) perdais
    • B) perdait
    • C) perdions
    • D) perdiez

  5. What is the nous form of perdre in the Future?

    • A) perdrons
    • B) perdront
    • C) perdras
    • D) perdrez

  6. What is the tu form of perdre in the Conditional?

    • A) perdrions
    • B) perdrait
    • C) perdraient
    • D) perdrais

  7. What is the je form of perdre in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) perde
    • B) perdiez
    • C) perdes
    • D) perdent

  8. What is the il/elle form of perdre in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) perdissiez
    • B) perdît
    • C) perdissent
    • D) perdisse

  9. What is the gerund of perdre?

    • A) perdant
    • B) buvant
    • C) dormant

  10. What is the past participle of perdre?

  • A) bu
  • B) perdu
  • C) dormi

Answer key

  1. D) perds — The tu form of perdre in the present indicative is perds.
  2. B) perdons — The nous form of perdre in the present indicative is perdons.
  3. B) a perdu — The il/elle form of perdre in the present perfect is a perdu.
  4. A) perdais — The je form of perdre in the imperfect is perdais.
  5. A) perdrons — The nous form of perdre in the future is perdrons.
  6. D) perdrais — The tu form of perdre in the conditional is perdrais.
  7. A) perde — The je form of perdre in the present subjunctive is perde.
  8. B) perdît — The il/elle form of perdre in the imperfect subjunctive is perdît.
  9. A) perdant — The gerund of perdre is en perdant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. B) perdu — The past participle of perdre is perdu; perfect tenses use avoir + perdu.

Frequently asked questions

What does perdre mean in English?

perdre means “lose”. You use it for talking about losing things, for describing a match, and for losing time.

Is perdre regular or irregular?

perdre is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en perdant and the past participle is perdu.

How do I say “I lose” in French?

Say “Je perds mes clés.” — “I lose my keys.” The je form of the present is perds.

Where can I see the full conjugation of perdre?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Perdre Present Tense Conjugation in French page.

How to practise perdre this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with perdre out loud, using the examples on this page as your starting point. On the first day, use only the present tense and the complements from the examples above — mes clés, le match and du temps — and change only the person, so you hear how perds, perds and perd sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with ai perdu and the other perfect forms from the table. On the third day, write three short plans for tomorrow in the future tense, and on the fourth day, turn them into polite conditional sentences. Keep a small notebook and write each new sentence down: seeing en perdant and perdu in your own handwriting fixes them in memory far better than reading them once. Finally, take the quiz above again without looking at the answer key — when you can answer all ten questions from memory, move on to the next verb in the hub.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for perdre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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