Perder
to lose / to miss
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | perco | Eu perco o fio do raciocínio quando fico cansada. — I lose my train of thought when I get tired. |
| você/ele/ela | perde | Ela perde o ônibus quando para para conversar. — She misses the bus when she stops to chat. |
| nós | perdemos | Nós perdemos tempo discutindo o que já está decidido. — We lose time discussing what is already decided. |
| eles/elas | perdem | Eles perdem bem — com dignidade e sem drama. — They lose well — with dignity and without drama. |
I lose sleep over small things — it's excessive generosity with worries. My friend rarely loses patience and when she does she's right. We lose some arguments to gain relationships — it's worth it. Losing is not failure — it's part of the path.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | perdi | Eu perdi a chave da casa e encontrei onde menos esperava. — I lost the house key and found it where I least expected. |
| você/ele/ela | perdeu | Ela perdeu o voo por dez minutos — e tomou outro sentido. — She missed the flight by ten minutes — and took another direction. |
| nós | perdemos | Nós perdemos o jogo mas ganhamos respeito. — We lost the match but gained respect. |
| eles/elas | perderam | Eles perderam a oportunidade mas não perderam a lição. — They missed the opportunity but didn't miss the lesson. |
The championship was painful and formative. I lost in the semi-final and learned more that day than in all the training sessions. My teammate missed the penalty and carried it for weeks. We lost together and came out stronger together too. Those who lost with class were the most respected in the end.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | perdia | Eu perdia tudo — chave, carteira, guarda-chuva, esperança. — I used to lose everything — keys, wallet, umbrella, hope. |
| você/ele/ela | perdia | Ela perdia o foco quando alguém entrava na sala. — She used to lose focus when someone entered the room. |
| nós | perdíamos | Nós perdíamos a noção do tempo quando o assunto era bom. — We used to lose track of time when the subject was good. |
| eles/elas | perdiam | Eles perdiam graciosamente — o que é forma rara de ganhar. — They used to lose graciously — which is a rare form of winning. |
In childhood, I used to lose at draughts against my grandfather because he never let you win for free. I used to lose on purpose sometimes at hide-and-seek so the younger cousin would feel good. My mum used to lose her calm with the chaos of our house — and find it back quickly. We used to lose track of time and the count of days on the farm holidays.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou perder | Vou perder esse vício de checar o celular a toda hora. — I'm going to lose this habit of checking my phone all the time. |
| você/ele/ela | vai perder | Ela vai perder o medo quando se jogar de verdade. — She's going to lose her fear when she truly jumps in. |
| nós | vamos perder | Vamos perder a batalha mas não a guerra. — We're going to lose the battle but not the war. |
| eles/elas | vão perder | Eles vão perder a chance se não decidirem logo. — They're going to miss the chance if they don't decide soon. |
The deadline is tight. I'm going to lose some nights of sleep but I'll deliver. My team is going to lose the budget battle — I already know. We're going to lose precious time if we don't prioritise now. Those who are going to lose most are those who didn't plan — and that has a solution.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | perderei | Perderei com graça quando chegar a hora. — I will lose with grace when the time comes. |
| você/ele/ela | perderá | Ela perderá o nervosismo com o tempo e a prática. — She will lose her nervousness with time and practice. |
| nós | perderemos | Perderemos algumas batalhas a caminho da vitória importante. — We will lose some battles on the way to the important victory. |
| eles/elas | perderão | Eles perderão a relevância se não se adaptarem. — They will lose relevance if they don't adapt. |
The communiqué was honest: The company will lose market share in the short term. We will lose some clients during the transition — it is expected. Partners will lose benefits that will be reformulated. I will lose patience with those who do not comply with the new protocol — they have been warned.
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | perderia | Eu perderia o sono por qualquer coisa — é meu jeito. — I would lose sleep over anything — it's my way. |
| você/ele/ela | perderia | Ela perderia a cabeça se soubesse de tudo. — She would lose her head if she knew everything. |
| nós | perderíamos | Perderíamos menos tempo com reuniões melhores. — We would lose less time with better meetings. |
| eles/elas | perderiam | Eles perderiam menos se comunicassem mais. — They would lose less if they communicated more. |
If ego were smaller, I would lose arguments with more elegance. My friend would lose fewer friendships if he listened more before reacting. We would lose less if we communicated more openly. Organisations would lose fewer talents if they invested in belonging.
Perder across the tenses
A short story using perder in multiple tenses
Meu pai perdia no xadrez com minha irmã e sorria. Perdia de propósito às vezes — aprendi isso muito depois. Nós perdíamos a noção da hora jogando com ele — era o melhor presente que ele dava.
Hoje eu perco às vezes com mais graça do que antes. Ontem perdi uma discussão que eu tinha razão — e escolhi deixar para lá. Perdemos assim os conflitos que não valem — e ganhamos paz.
No próximo torneio, vou perder com a cabeça erguida. Se não ganhar, perderei aprendendo — é o único jeito aceitável.
Perguntei a ele o que perderia se pudesse perder uma coisa. Ele pensou: Perderia o medo. É o único que nunca valeu a pena carregar.
My dad used to lose at chess to my sister and smile. He used to lose on purpose sometimes — I learned that much later. We used to lose track of time playing with him — it was the best present he gave. Today I sometimes lose with more grace than before. Yesterday I lost an argument I was right about — and chose to let it go. We lose the conflicts that aren't worth it like this — and gain peace. At the next tournament, I'm going to lose with my head held high. If I don't win, I will lose while learning — it's the only acceptable way. I asked him what he would lose if he could lose one thing. He thought: I would lose fear. It's the only one that was never worth carrying.
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