Perder Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson and PDF

It’s time to learn about perder conjugation. It’s not about winning or losing but how you play the game, as the saying goes.

The most common translation of this perder is “to lose” in English, and it also means “to miss,” “to waste,” “to leak,” and “to forfeit.”

Perder is a stem-changing verb that follows the typical conjugation rules for -er verbs. The root perd- changes to pierd-, and only the suffix changes. 

Today, we’ll put perder conjugation under the microscope and learn multiple forms, encompassing three moods: 

• Indicative (present, past, conditional, and future)
• Subjunctive (present and past)
• Imperative 

The Ultimate Guide to Perder Conjugation

Since this is a comprehensive guide to perder conjugation, you might not yet be familiar with all the tenses and forms included. It’s okay! Practice makes perfect, so keep at it and soon you’ll be an expert at using Spanish verbs.

Try out your newfound perder conjugation skills using some practice exercises later in this blog post!

Perder Conjugation: Verbals

For these perder conjugations, there are two forms of perder that you need to learn.

1. Conjugation of haber + past participle of perder
2. Conjugation of estar + gerund form of perder

The infinitive form of the verb is perder.
The past participle of perder is perdido.
The gerund form of perder is perdiendo.

These compound tenses involve using the helping verbs haber and estar. The conjugation changes in these tenses happen within the helping verbs, while the form of perder stays the same. 

Let’s see them in action:

Creo que voy a perder este juego.
I think I’m going to lose this game.

Estamos perdiendo el tiempo sin hacer nada. 
We are wasting our time by doing nothing.

Mi amigo encontró las llaves que yo había perdido. 
My friend found the keys that I had lost.

Perder Conjugation: Indicative Mood

Present simple

El motor pierde aceite, así que tenemos que repararlo. 
The engine leaks oil, so we have to repair it.

Siempre pierdo mis lapiceros.
I always lose my pens.

Perdimos el tiempo navegando el internet.
We waste our time surfing the internet.

Past Simple

Llegué tarde a la estación y perdí el tren. 
I arrived late at the station and missed the train.

El equipo de fútbol de mi hermano perdió el partido.
My brother’s soccer team lost the game.

Perdimos la pelota ayer.
We lost the ball yesterday.

Past Imperfect

Tú perdías los lapiceros en la clase. 
You always used to lose pencils in class.

Tomas perdía la confianza de mi padre por ser irresponsable. 
Thomas used to lose my father’s trust by being irresponsible.

Conditional

Si juego voleibol, yo perdería seguramente.
If I played volleyball, I would surely lose.

Si la gente supiera de la corrupción, el cargo público perdería su honor.
If the people know about the corruption, public office would lose its honor.

Future Simple

Si cancelo la reserva, perderé la fianza. 
If I cancel the booking, I will forfeit my deposit.

Ana no sabe si los muchachos perderán el dinero. 
Ana doesn’t know if the boys will lose the money.

No perderemos la apuesta. 
We will not lose the bet.

Perder Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood

We use the subjunctive mood to talk about hypotheses, hopes, wishes, or uncertainty.

Present Subjunctive

Coma bien para que no pierda sus fuerzas.
Eat well to avoid losing your strength.

Espero que Julia no pierda su trabajo.
I hope that Julia doesn’t lose her job.

Past Subjunctive

Esperaba que Melissa no perdiera el libro.
I was hoping that Melissa wouldn’t lose the book.

Sería una pena que se perdiese esa oportunidad.
It would be a great pity if this opportunity were lost.

Perder conjugation in the past subjunctive mood can either end in -era or –ese. Both ways are accepted although -era is more common and informal. When writing a formal letter, I suggest you use the verb ending -ese. This also applies to the next tense

.

Past Perfect Subjunctive

For the past perfect subjunctive tense, we use the auxiliary verb haber and the past participle of perder.

Si hubiera perdido el campeonato, lo habría matado. 
If he had lost the championship, it would have killed him.

Si no se hubiese perdido, quien sabe lo que hubiera pasado.
Had it not been lost, who knows what would have happened.

Present Perfect Subjunctive

For the perfect subjunctive tense we use the auxiliary verb haber and the past participle of perder.

Da igual que ellos hayan perdido.
It doesn’t matter if they lost.

Cabe la posibilidad de que Laura haya perdido el vuelo.
It is possible that Laura may have missed the flight.

The future subjunctive tense exists is rarely used, so I’m not including it in this lesson. 

Perder Conjugation: Imperative Mood

The imperative mood is used to give commands. These tenses don’t include most of the subject pronouns since you can’t give commands in the first person singular (yo) or plural (nosotros) or the third person (él, ella, ellos, ellas). 

No pierdas tiempo. 
Don’t waste time.

¡Perdamos de peso!
Let’s lose weight!

Perder Conjugation Exercises

Don’t lose your newfound perder conjugation knowledge. It’s time to practice! Check your understanding by completing the following exercises. Be sure to check each answer with the answer key at the end of this post. 

Exercise 1

Identify the tense and pronoun of each perder conjugation.

1. perderé

2. pierdo

3. haya perdido

4. no pierda

5. perderíamos

Exercise 2

Conjugate perder in the tense given.

1. usted – past simple indicative

2. tú – imperative, negative

3. tú – present simple indicative

4. ellos – conditional indicative

5. yo – future simple

Exercise 3

Fill in the blank with the correct form of perder.

1. Yo _____________ demasiado tiempo en los redes sociales. (present simple)

2. Antes, tú _____________ el perro en las caminatas. (past imperfect)

3. Ud. no _____________ el juego de ajedrez mañana. (future simple)

4. Ojala que nosotros no _____________ el dinero. (present subjunctive)

5. ___________ el paraguas! (imperative negative)

Exercise 4

Translate the following sentences to English.

1. ¿Sabes quien perdió su pasaporte? 

2. Si Elena hubiera venido al partido, perdería con nosotros.

3. He perdido mis llaves otra vez.

4. Raul pierde sus lentes frecuentemente.

5. No pierdas demasiado peso.

Click here to see the answer key.

Don’t Lose Focus

Congratulations! You’ve learned about perder conjugation in Spanish and uses of the verb perder. The next step is to develop a speaking practice to solidify your new knowledge. An amazing way to make it happen is with one of our native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Ask them for tips to help you memorize all of the uses and tenses of Spanish verb conjugation. Engage in real-life conversations today by signing up for a free class!

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Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. yo – future indicative

2. yo – present indicative

3. yo/él, ella, usted – past imperfect indicative 

4. usted – negative imperative

5. nosotros – conditional indicative

Exercise 2

1. perdió

2. no pierdas

3. perderá

4. Perderían

5. Perderé

Exercise 3

1. Pierdo

2. perdias

3. perderá

4. perdamos

5. No pierda(s)

Exercise 4 

1. Do you know who lost their passport? 

2. If Elena had come to the game, she would have lost with us.

3. I’ve lost my keys again.

4. Raul often loses his glasses.

5. Don’t lose too much weight.

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Michelle Margaret Fajkus

Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.

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