formation-en-orthographe

I – The rule: do I lose or do I lose?

The error comes from the conjugation of the verb “to lose” in the present indicative tense.

Do I lose or do I lose? The correct conjugation

The verb perd belongs to the third group and follows the same conjugation as vend or intend.

Here is its conjugation in the present indicative:

• I lose s
• You lose s
• He/she/one loses
• We are losing
• You lose
• They lose

We always put an “s” in the first person singular: I lose.

Correct examples:

• I often lose my keys.
• When I’m distracted, I waste time.
• I lose patience quickly.

Why is « I lose » wrong?

The error comes from the fact that “he/she/on loses” is written without an “s”. We therefore tend to generalize this form to “je”, which is incorrect.

I often lose my things. (incorrect)
I often lose my things. (correct)

Do I lose or do I lose? A simple rule to remember

• With “I”, we always write “I lose” with an “s”.
• “I lose” is a mistake!

II – Do I lose or do I lose? Examples in literature

Here are ten well-constructed sentences where I lose is used correctly:

1. I lose track of time when I’m reading a good book.
2. Every game of chess I play, I lose to my brother.
3. When I speak too quickly, I lose my train of thought.
4. I often lose my phone.
5. If I’m not careful, I lose my balance.
6. By procrastinating, I’m wasting precious hours.
7. I sometimes lose confidence in myself, but I quickly recover.
8. If I don’t focus, I lose sight of my goal.
9. I rarely lose my temper, but it can happen.
10. Every time I play poker, I lose all my money.

III – Do I lose or do I lose? To say / Not to say

To say

• I lose my bearings when I travel too far.
• When I’m stressed, I lose my composure.
• I lose patience when people keep me waiting.
• If I don’t revise, I lose all my chances of succeeding.
• I’m wasting my time justifying myself.

Not to be said

• I lose my bearings when I travel too far.
• When I’m stressed, I lose my composure.
• I lose patience when people keep me waiting.
• If I don’t revise, I lose all my chances of succeeding.
• I’m wasting my time justifying myself.

IV – Exercises: Do I lose or do I lose?

Do I lose or do I lose? Exercises – true or false?

1. I often lose my mind.
2. I’m wasting time doing nothing.
3. Every time I play cards, I lose.
4. When I’m tired, I lose my reflexes.
5. If I’m not careful, I lose my phone.
6. When I stress too much, I lose my composure.
7. I rarely lose my cool.
8. Every game I lose to him.
9. I lose my cool in tense situations.
10. As soon as I lose focus, I lose my ideas.

Do I lose or do I lose? Corrected exercises

1. I often lose my mind.
2. I’m wasting time doing nothing.
3. Every time I play cards, I lose.
4. When I’m tired, I lose my reflexes.
5. If I’m not careful, I lose my phone.
6. When I stress too much, I lose my composure.
7. I rarely lose my temper.
8. Every game I lose to him.
9. I lose my cool in tense situations.
10. As soon as I lose focus, I lose my ideas.

Conclusion

The mistake between I lose and I lose is easy to avoid:

• “I lose” is the only correct form.
• “I lose” does not exist in French.

To go further

To deepen your knowledge of grammar, you can consult this article from the Académie française which details the conjugation of the verb perd in all tenses.

Want to read more? Check out our other articles on the following topics:

• I did or I did
• I learn or I learn

So now you don’t make the mistake anymore?