French guides · Verb tables + audio
Perdre: losing things, and getting lost.
Perdre means “to lose” — a regular -re verb conjugating exactly like vendre. The distinction worth learning is one English handles with a completely different construction: losing your keys is perdre, but losing your way is se perdre — reflexive, with être in the past.
Présent — the regular -re pattern
Stem perd-, endings -s, -s, —, -ons, -ez, -ent, with the bare il perd.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je perds | I lose | |
| tu perds | you lose | |
| il / elle perd | he / she loses | |
| nous perdons | we lose | |
| vous perdez | you lose | |
| ils / elles perdent | they lose |
Perds, perds and perd are all “pehr”. Perdent is “pehrd” — the d surfaces because the silent -ent behind it stops it being final.
Perdre or se perdre?
If the thing lost is separate from you, the verb is plain. If it is your bearings, it is reflexive.
| French | Means | |
|---|---|---|
| j’ai perdu mes clés | I’ve lost my keys | plain, with avoir |
| je me suis perdu | I got lost | reflexive, with être |
| on a perdu le match | we lost the match | |
| j’ai perdu mon chemin | I lost my way | also possible, less common |
| perdre connaissance | to lose consciousness | no article |
Every reflexive verb does. Je me suis perdu, elle s’est perdue — with agreement. The plain verb keeps avoir and agrees only with a preceding direct object.
Losing time, and other things French loses
A cluster of everyday expressions, several of which are the standard way to say the thing:
- perdre du temps — to waste time. Ne perds pas ton temps, don’t waste your time.
- perdre patience — to lose patience (no article).
- perdre l’habitude — to get out of the habit.
- perdre de vue — to lose sight of, or to lose touch with.
- c’est peine perdue — it’s a lost cause.
Perdre patience, perdre connaissance, perdre courage — these are fixed and take no la or le. Adding one is not wrong exactly, but it is not what is said.
Passé composé — perdu
Regular -u participle with avoir. It also works as an adjective: je suis perdu — “I’m lost” — describing the state rather than the event.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| j’ai perdu | I lost / have lost | |
| tu as perdu | you lost / have lost | |
| il / elle a perdu | he / she lost / have lost | |
| nous avons perdu | we lost / have lost | |
| vous avez perdu | you lost / have lost | |
| ils / elles ont perdu | they lost / have lost |
Imparfait — was losing
Je perdais. Common in sport commentary and in describing a decline.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je perdais | I used to lose / was losing | |
| tu perdais | you used to lose / was losing | |
| il / elle perdait | he / she used to lose / was losing | |
| nous perdions | we used to lose / was losing | |
| vous perdiez | you used to lose / was losing | |
| ils / elles perdaient | they used to lose / was losing |
Futur and conditionnel
Drop the e: je perdrai.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je perdrai | I will lose | |
| tu perdras | you will lose | |
| il / elle perdra | he / she will lose | |
| nous perdrons | we will lose | |
| vous perdrez | you will lose | |
| ils / elles perdront | they will lose |
Conditionnel — would lose
Je perdrais. Tu n’as rien à perdre — “you’ve nothing to lose”.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je perdrais | I would lose | |
| tu perdrais | you would lose | |
| il / elle perdrait | he / she would lose | |
| nous perdrions | we would lose | |
| vous perdriez | you would lose | |
| ils / elles perdraient | they would lose |
Subjonctif — regular
From the plural stem, unchanged.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je perde | (that) I lose | |
| tu perdes | (that) you lose | |
| il / elle perde | (that) he / she lose | |
| nous perdions | (that) we lose | |
| vous perdiez | (that) you lose | |
| ils / elles perdent | (that) they lose |
Impératif — don’t lose it
Perds ! keeps its s, though the negative is far commoner: ne perds pas espoir, “don’t lose hope”.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| perds ! | lose! (to one person you know) | |
| perdons ! | let’s lose! | |
| perdez ! | lose! (formal, or to a group) |
Plus-que-parfait — had lost
J’avais perdu — or reflexively, je m’étais perdu.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| j’avais perdu | I had lost | |
| tu avais perdu | you had lost | |
| il / elle avait perdu | he / she had lost | |
| nous avions perdu | we had lost | |
| vous aviez perdu | you had lost | |
| ils / elles avaient perdu | they had lost |
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Quick answers
Perdre, answered.
The questions that come up while you are learning the table.