perdere

to lose

verb PER-deh-reh Common

Origin: Latin perdere (to lose, destroy).

Also means

to miss (a train, opportunity)

Usage Note

Perdere takes avere as its auxiliary (ho perso il treno = I missed the train). The past participle is perso (colloquial) or perduto (more formal/literary). The reflexive perdersi means 'to get lost' (mi sono perso = I got lost), and uses essere. Perdere tempo (to waste time) is a very common fixed phrase.

Examples

"Non voglio perdere questa occasione."

Natural Translation

I don't want to miss this opportunity.

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