How to Say “I Lost My Phone” in Spanish

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He perdido mi móvil
/e peɾdido mi mobil/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I lost my phone" is said as He perdido mi móvil.
This phrase is used to state that you cannot find your mobile phone. Native speakers often use a more natural construction, Se me ha perdido el móvil, which literally translates to "The phone lost itself to me" to imply that the loss was an unintentional accident.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase He perdido uses the present perfect tense, combining the auxiliary verb haber (to have) with the past participle perdido (lost).

Which one should you use?

While the default form uses the present perfect, you can also use the preterite Perdí mi móvil to express the same idea. Additionally, the phrase Se me ha perdido el móvil is a very natural way for a native speaker to communicate the accident of losing the device.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For formal situations, you can use He extraviado mi móvil. If you are in an apologetic context, you might say Lamentablemente, he perdido mi celular to mean "Unfortunately, I have lost my cellphone."

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Spain, the term móvil is the standard word for a mobile phone and the phrase Me he quedado sin móvil is commonly used there to express that you are currently without a phone because you lost it. In many parts of Latin America, you should use celular instead of móvil, such as in the phrase He perdido mi celular.

How does it change in a sentence?

In Latin American Spanish, it is very common to use the preterite form Perdí mi móvil instead of the present perfect to express that you lost your phone.

Did you know?

  • The word móvil shares the same Latin root, 'mobilis', as the Spanish word mueble, which means 'furniture'.
  • By saying Se me ha perdido el móvil, a speaker uses a grammatical structure that removes personal blame for the loss.
  • The word extraviado used in formal contexts comes from the Latin words for 'out of the way'.

Examples in context

  • Disculpa, pero se me extravió el celular que me prestaste.
    Sorry, but I misplaced the cellphone you lent me.
  • He perdido mi móvil en el parque.
    I lost my phone in the park.
  • No lo encuentro, he perdido mi móvil.
    I can't find it, I lost my phone.
  • ¡Qué desastre! He perdido mi móvil.
    What a disaster! I lost my phone.

Example conversation

Mateo and Elena are leaving a restaurant.

  1. Mateo

    Elena, he perdido mi móvil.
    Elena, I lost my phone.
  2. Elena

    ¡Qué mal! ¿Dónde lo tenías?
    That's too bad! Where did you have it?
  3. Mateo

    Estaba sobre la mesa hace un momento.
    It was on the table a moment ago.
  4. Elena

    Vamos a preguntar al camarero.
    Let's ask the waiter.

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries he, mi, móvil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Albert Kym
Albert KymHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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