Learn Portuguese Idioms: Perder a hora & Perder tempo

I saw the picture above on Facebook and it inspired me to create this Portuguese lesson. The picture uses two very useful idiomatic expressions in Portuguese: Perder a hora and Perder tempo.  In this lesson I will give you a tip about the conjugation of the verb Perder and will show you how to use the expressions above. I will also teach you an additional great expression.

 

The Verb Perder: Meaning and Conjugation

The literal translation of perder is to lose.

Perder has an interesting conjugation. It is irregular for the simple present tense (present indicative) of “eu”:

• Eu perco

Notice that we have a C in place of the D that we have in the infinitive.

The rest of the present tense conjugation is regular:

• Você/ele/ela perde
• Nós perdemos
• Vocês/eles/elas perdem

That little change in the present tense indicative carries on to the present subjunctive:

• Espero que eu não perca meu celular de novo. = I hope I do not lose my cell phone again.
• Espero que você não perca seu celular de novo. = I hope you do not lose your cell phone again.
• Espero que nós não percamos nossos celulares outra vez. = I hope we do not lose our cell phones again.
• Espero que vocês não percam seus celulares novamente. = I hope you guys do not lose your cell phones again.

To practice the present subjunctive conjugation, check out our Flashcard App for Android devices.

 

Idiomatic Expression: Perder a hora

The expression perder a hora means to lose track of time and to be late for an appointment as a result. It can also translate as to oversleep.

Examples:

1. Melissa usually wakes up at 7am to go to work. Today she overslept and woke up at 7:45am. She calls her manager to say that she is running late:

• Desculpe. Eu trabalhei até tarde ontem à noite e hoje perdi a hora.
• = I’m sorry. I worked until late last night and today I overslept.

 

2. Reginaldo is having lunch with a friend. He checks the time and says:

• Tenho que ir. Tenho uma reunião importante. Não posso perder a hora.
• = I have to go. I have an important meeting. I cannot be lose track of time and be late.

 

3. Diego is late to meet his girlfriend. She is upset. He tells her:

• Desculpa. Eu estava estudando e perdi a hora.
• Sorry. I was studying and lost track of time.

 

Idiomatic expression: Perder tempo

The expression perder tempo means to waste time.

Examples:

1.    Cristiano has been trying to go out on a date with Maria. Maria however keeps rejecting him. Cristiano’s friend finally tells him:

• Você está perdendo seu tempo. Ela não quer nada com você.
• = You are wasting your time. She does not want anything to do with you.

 

2.    Joana is giving Mário her opinion about the movie she watched last night:

• O filme é horrível. Não perca seu tempo.
• = The movie is terrible. Don’t waste your time.

 

3.    Paula spent almost an hour in line at the bank today. She says:

• Perdi um tempo enorme na fila do banco.
• = I wasted a lot of time in line at the bank.

 

Premium phrase: Uma perda de tempo

The noun for “perder” is perda = a loss, a waste.

The phrase uma perda de tempo means a waste of time.

Example:

Gustavo spends hours playing games at his computer. His girlfriend says:

• Não entendo como você passa tantas horas jogando. Que perda de tempo!
• = I don’t understand how you spend so many hours playing. What a waste of time!

 

The Opening Picture

Based on what you just learned, you can now translate the opening picture. It says:

“Choose people who make you lose track of time, not waste your time.”

The picture came from 89 A Radio Rock’s Facebook page.