The verb for today is perder – to lose, waste, miss

But before we do the verb, let me list my five new non-verb words for today:

1. el bombero or la bombera – firefighter
2. el borrador – eraser
3. la ganga – bargain
4. el invierno – winter
5. el almuerzo – lunch

All very useful.

Now back to the verb: perder

Someone might say to you, No hay tiempo que perder, if he is in a hurry and wants you to get going.  Or you might here the guy from UPS say, He dado el paquete por perdido!

This very is one that will make almost all of the “most important words in Spanish” lists, so we better know it.  Check out the conjugation, and notice was happens to the “e” after the “p” in the present tense.  Yep, you must change the stem from “perd” to “pied”.  In the preterit and the future you don’t have to make the change.

The gerund for perder is perdiendo
The participle is perdido