Perdre Expressions

French expressions with perdre
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

Losing French Phrases

The French verb perdre, “to lose,” is found in many idiomatic expressions, including to get mixed up, to waste time, and to go crazy. Learn these and dozens of other French expressions featuring perdre.

Perdre translations

  • to be down (points)
  • to get out of (a habit)
  • to leak (water)
  • to lose
  • to mislay
  • to miss
  • to ruin
  • to shed
  • to spoil
  • to waste (time, money)

Perdre expressions

perdre confiance to lose one’s confidence
perdre connaissance to pass out, lose consciousness
perdre (le) contact (avec un ami)   to lose touch (with a friend)
perdre courage to lose heart, courage
perdre du poids to lose weight
perdre du temps to waste time
perdre du terrain to lose ground
perdre espoir to lose hope
perdre l’équilibre to lose one’s balance
perdre l’esprit to go out of one’s mind
perdre l’occasion de to miss the opportunity to
perdre la boule (informal)   to go crazy
perdre la parole to lose the power of speech
perdre la raison to go out of one’s mind
perdre la tête to go crazy
perdre la vie to lose one’s life
perdre la vue to lose one’s vision
perdre le contrôle   to lose control
perdre le fil (informal)   to lose the thread (of a conversation)
perdre le goût de (travailler, manger) to lose interest in, to not feel like (working, eating)
perdre le nord (informal)   to get confused
perdre le souffle to be out of breath
perdre les pédales (informal)   to lose track, get confused, go crazy
perdre patience to lose patience
perdre pied to be out of one’s depth (literally and figuratively)
perdre quelqu’un de vue to lose sight of someone
perdre sa page (en lisant) to lose one’s place (while reading)
perdre ses moyens to crack up, go insane
perdre son pantalon to have one’s pants/trousers falling down
perdre son temps to waste time
perdre un ami de vue   to lose touch with a friend
     
courir à perdre haleine to run as fast as one can
Elle a perdu les eaux  (grossesse)   Her water broke (pregnancy)
gagner une bataille mais perdre la guerre   to win the battle but lose the war
J’y perds mon latin It’s all Greek to me; I can’t make heads or tails of it
n’avoir rien à perdre to have nothing to lose
Tu n’y perds rien ! It’s no great loss, You haven’t missed anything.
Tu y perds   It’s your lost
     
se perdre to get lost, lose one’s way
to disappear, vanish, be dying out
se perdre dans les détails to get bogged down in details
se perdre dans la foule to get lost in the crowd
se perdre dans la nuit   to vanish into the night, get swallowed by darkness
se perdre dans ses pensées to be lost in thought
se perdre dans le vacarme   to get lost in the din, get drowned out by the din
Je m’y perds I’m lost, I’m all confused
Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée
(tout se transforme)
  Matter can neither be created nor destroyed
(only transformed)
le sens s’est perdu   the meaning has been lost

 Related lessons

Stay up to date with Lawless French

Questions about French?

 Visit the Progress with Lawless French Q+A forum to get help from native French speakers and fellow learners.

More Lawless French

 Subscribe to my twice-weekly newsletter.

Support Lawless French

  This free website is created with love and a great deal of work.

If you love it, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation.

Your support is entirely optional but tremendously appreciated.

Leave a Reply