Perder Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

perder — to lose — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to lose, and it is completely regular: perdo, perdes, perde, perdemos, perdeis, perdem. Its pretérito perfeito is perdi, perdeste, perdeu, and its participle is perdido. It also means to miss a bus, a train or a chance. 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. The full conjugation tables are on the perder conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the perder present tense page.

Example sentences with perder

In the present tense

  • “Eu perdo o jogo todos os dias.” — “I lose the game”
  • “Tu perdes o jogo todos os dias.” — “You lose the game”
  • “Ele perde o jogo todos os dias.” — “He loses the game”
  • “Nós perdemos o jogo todos os dias.” — “We lose the game”
  • “Vós perdeis o jogo todos os dias.” — “You lose the game”
  • “Eles perdem o jogo todos os dias.” — “They lose the game”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu perdi o jogo ontem.” — “I lost the game”
  • “Tu perdeste o jogo ontem.” — “You lost the game”
  • “Ele perdeu o jogo ontem.” — “He lost the game”
  • “Nós perdemos o jogo ontem.” — “We lost the game”
  • “Vós perdestes o jogo ontem.” — “You lost the game”
  • “Eles perderam o jogo ontem.” — “They lost the game”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu perdia o jogo antigamente.” — “I used to lose the game”
  • “Tu perderás o jogo amanhã.” — “You will lose the game”
  • “Ele perderia o jogo um dia.” — “He would lose the game”
  • “É importante que nós perdamos o jogo.” — “It is important that we lose the game”
  • “Perde o jogo!” — “Lose the game!”

How perder is used

The first thing to know about perder is its core meaning: to lose. It means to lose, and it is completely regular: perdo, perdes, perde, perdemos, perdeis, perdem. Its pretérito perfeito is perdi, perdeste, perdeu, and its participle is perdido. It also means to miss a bus, a train or a chance. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company perder keeps. The present eu form is perdo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho perdido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what perder does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need perdo, never perder. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho perdido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle perdido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Perder in context

Eu perdo o jogo todos os dias. Tu perdes o jogo todos os dias. Ele perde o jogo todos os dias. Nós perdemos o jogo todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of perder is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — perdo, perdes, perde, perdemos — while the meaning stays the same: to lose. Eu perdi o jogo ontem. Tu perdeste o jogo ontem. Ele perdeu o jogo ontem. Nós perdemos o jogo ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of perder appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to lose — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu perder o jogo.”

✓ Right: “Eu perdo o jogo todos os dias.”

The infinitive perder never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form perdo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu perdes o jogo.”

✓ Right: “Eu perdo o jogo todos os dias.”

perdes is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is perdo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu perdo o jogo ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu perdi o jogo ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito perdi here, not the present perdo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou perdido o jogo.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho perdido o jogo esta semana.”

perder takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho perdido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. What is the tu form of perder in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) perdo
    • B) perdes
    • C) perde
    • D) perdemos

  2. What is the eu form of perder in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens perdido
    • B) tem perdido
    • C) tenho perdido
    • D) temos perdido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of perder in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) perdias
    • B) perdíamos
    • C) perdíeis
    • D) perdia

  4. What is the nós form of perder in the Futuro do presente?

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

  5. What is the tu form of perder in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) perderia
    • B) perderias
    • C) perderíamos
    • D) perderíeis

  6. What is the eu form of perder in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) perderas
    • B) perdéramos
    • C) perdera
    • D) perdéreis

  7. What is the nós form of perder in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) perda
    • B) perdas
    • C) perdais
    • D) perdamos

  8. What is the gerund of perder?

    • A) perdendo
    • B) perdido
    • C) perder
    • D) perdo

  9. What is the past participle of perder?

    • A) perdendo
    • B) perdido
    • C) perder
    • D) perdo

  10. What does perder mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to lose
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) perdes — the correct form is perdes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho perdido — the correct form is tenho perdido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) perdia — the correct form is perdia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) perderemos — the correct form is perderemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) perderias — the correct form is perderias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) perdera — the correct form is perdera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) perdamos — the correct form is perdamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) perdendo — the correct form is perdendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) perdido — the correct form is perdido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to lose — the correct form is to lose. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does perder mean in English?

perder means “to lose”. You use it whenever you talk about to lose in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is perder regular or irregular?

perder is regular. perder is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of perder?

The gerund is perdendo and the past participle is perdido. The perfect tenses use ter + perdido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of perder?

On the perder conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The perder present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

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

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