I Don’t Lose my Hopes
Every day when learning a language as a native speaker, and without even thinking about it, verbs are used. Children have a special and sometimes funny way of conjugating them. However, they are corrected by their parents so that they learn the correct use in such a way that it flows in their language. One of the most used is the verb Perder. We hear it from our parents in phrases such as: “¿Perdiste el juguete?” (Did you lose the toy?), “¿Se te volvió a perder el lápiz?” (Did you lose your pencil again?), “¡Ya perdí la paciencia!” (I’ve lost my patience!) or, as today’s title says; “No pierdo mis esperanzas” (I don´t lose my hopes).
Perder (to lose or to miss) is an irregular and pronominal verb, that is to say that it can be conjugated in a reflexive way, but there is no need to be alarmed, later on, you will have examples that will make it easier to understand. This verb has different uses, such as:
- Stop having: perdí peso (I lost weight).
- Not finding something you had: se perdieron las llaves (keys were lost).
- Waste: no pierdas tiempo (don’t waste time).
- Failure to obtain what is disputed in a competition: perdiste el primer lugar (you lost the first place).
- Missing an opportunity: perdí el tren (I missed the train).
- Not finding the way or the course: Estoy perdido (I am lost).
Verbals of Perder
As I mentioned, the verb perder has different uses, and some of them are not as a verb. The infinitive, gerund and participle are verbals, words that take the form of adjectives, adverbs or nouns. They need another verb to help them in order to use them. The following chart will give you a clearer idea.
| Verbal | Common use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | perder (to lose / losing) | Non conjugated / Noun | Se dedicó a perder su dinero. | He dedicated himself to losing his money. |
| Gerund | perdiendo (losing) | Adverb/verbal periphrasis | Me estoy perdiendo el partido | I'm losing the game |
| Participle | perdido (lost) | Adjective | Los viajeros se habían perdido en el camino. | The travelers were lost on the way. |
Conjugate Perder
To conjugate this verb is extremely simple, put it into practice and no pierdas las esperanzas (don’t lose your hopes) of learning it so that you have a command when speaking and writing. It is more a matter of memory than of wisdom. You just have to have the skill to place the verb in the context of the conversation.
Perder Conjugation: Indicative Mood
This first mood is used to talk about reality, concrete events, to inform, to indicate when something is happening in a certain period of time (present, past, future). They are Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Conditional | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (lose) | (lost) | (lost) | (would lose) | (will lose) | |
| yo | pierdo | perdí | perdía | perdería | perderé |
| tú | pierdes | perdiste | perdías | perderías | perderás |
| él/ella/ usted | pierde | perdió | perdía | perdería | perderá |
| nosotros | perdemos | perdimos | perdíamos | perderíamos | perderemos |
| ellos/ella/ ustedes | pierden | perdieron | perdían | perderían | perderán |
Examples:
- Jhon perdía su dinero en apuestas. – Jhon lost his money on gambling.
- Ellos perderán el juego. – They will lose the game.
Compound Tenses of the Indicative Mood
| Subject | Preterite Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Conditional Perfect | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (had started) | (had started) | (would have started) | (will have started) | |
| yo | he perdido | había perdido | habría perdido | habré perdido |
| tú | has perdido | habías perdido | habrías perdido | habrás perdido |
| él/ella/usted | ha perdido | había perdido | habría perdido | habrá perdido |
| nosotros | hemos perdido | habíamos perdido | habríamos perdido | habremos perdido |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han perdido | habían perdido | habrían perdido | habrán perdido |
Perder Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood is a world of suppositions, hypotheses, doubts and imaginations, which can merge with longings, aspirations and desires. Conjugating is definitely playing with words!
Simple Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present | Imperfect | Imperfect 2 | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | pierda | perdiera | perdiese | perdiere |
| tú | pierdas | perdieras | perdieses | perdieres |
| él/ella/usted | pierda | perdiera | perdiese | perdiere |
| nosotros | perdamos | perdiéramos | perdiésemos | perdiéremos |
| ellos/ellas/ ustedes | pierdan | perdierais | perdieseis | perdiereis |
Examples:
- Que perdieses las maletas te hizo pasar un mal rato. – Losing your bags gave you a hard time.
- Cuando yo pierda el temor, seré victoriosa. – When I lose my fear, I will be victorious.
Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
| Subject | Present Perfect | Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | Past Perfect 2 (Pluperfect 2) | Future Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | haya perdido | hubiera perdido | hubiese perdido | hubiere perdido |
| tú | hayas perdido | hubieras perdido | hubieses perdido | hubieres perdido |
| él/ella/usted | haya perdido | hubiera perdido | hubiese perdido | hubiere perdido |
| nosotros | hayamos perdido | hubiéramos perdido | hubiésemos perdido | hubiéremos perdido |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan perdido | hubieran perdido | hubiesen perdido | hubieren perdido |
Perder Conjugation: Imperative Mood
One way to remember this mood is to think of it as the military mood, since it involves giving orders. Only if it were a monologue could one give orders to oneself, however, grammatically it is not accepted; so in the picture you will not find the subject in the first-person singular (yo).
Imperative Mood’s Conjugations
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| (lose / let’s lose) | (don’t lose / let’s not lose) | |
| tú | pierde | no pierdas |
| nosotros | perdamos | no perdamos |
| ustedes | pierdan | no pierdan |
| vosotros | perded | no perdáis |
Examples:
- Pierde hoy, pierde mañana, pero al final igual serás un campeón. – Lose today, lose tomorrow, but in the end you will still be a champion.
- No pierdan el recibo de pago, lo necesitarán mañana. – Do not lose your payment receipt, you will need it tomorrow.
Perder – Quiz/Worksheet
It is important that you find someone to practice with, as only this will give you mastery and fluency. Below, you will find sentences in which you must fill in the blanks with the correct conjugation of the verb Perder.
1. No conozco muy bien ésta ciudad, estoy ___ – I don’t know this city very well, I’m lost
2. Muchas veces se ___, pero también se gana – Many times you lose but you also win
3. Si no hubiese sido por tu consejo, hubiese ___ el avión. – Had it not been for your advice I would have missed the plane.
4. No ___ la meta que nos fijamos al iniciar el año. – Let’s not lose the goal we set at the beginning of the year.
5. No quisiera que te ___ el estreno de la película. – I wouldn’t want you to miss the premiere of the film.
The Answers
I invite you to have courage and perseverance, if you have some mistakes; it does not mean that you are going to perder your life because of that.
1. perdido
2. pierde
3. perdido
4. perdamos
5. perdieras
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