Perdre - French Expressions with Perdre

The French verb perdre literally means to lose, forget, or waste and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to go crazy, pass out, get confused, and more with this list of expressions with perdre.

perdre un ami de vue
to lose touch with a friend

perdre la boule (informal)
to go crazy

perdre confiance
to lose one's confidence

perdre connaissance
to pass out, lose consciousness

perdre courage
to lose heart, courage

perdre espoir / patience
to lose hope / patience

perdre l'équilibre
to lose one's balance

perdre l'esprit, la raison
to go out of one's mind

perdre le goût de (travailler, manger)
to lose interest in, to not feel like (working, eating)

perdre le fil (informal)
to lose the thread (of a conversation)

perdre le nord (informal)
to get confused

perdre l'occasion de
to miss the opportunity to

perdre la parole
to lose the power of speech

perdre patience
to lose patience

perdre les pédales (informal)
to get mixed up

perdre pied
to be out of one's depth (literally and figuratively)

perdre du poids
to lose weight

perdre quelqu'un de vue
to lose sight of someone

perdre sa page (en lisant)
to lose one's place (in a book, etc.)

perdre ses moyens
to crack up, go insane

perdre son pantalon
to have one's pants/trousers falling down

perdre son / du temps
to waste time

perdre le souffle
to be out of breath

perdre du terrain
to lose ground

perdre la tête
to go crazy

perdre la vue / la vie
to lose one's vision / life


courir à perdre haleine
to run as fast as one can

n'avoir rien à perdre
to have nothing to lose


Elle a perdu les eaux (grossesse)
Her water broke (pregnancy)

J'y perds mon latin
It's all Greek to me; I can't make heads or tails of it

Tu n'y perds rien !
It's no great loss, You haven't missed anything.


se perdre
to get lost, lose one's way

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 ses pensées
to be lost in thought

Je m'y perds
I'm lost, I'm all confused


Perdre conjugations