perder el tiempo
/peɾdeɾ el tjempo/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'wasting your time' is translated into Spanish as perder el tiempo.
perder el tiempo is used to describe spending time on an activity that is useless or does not produce a good result. This phrase can be used to describe a person wasting their own time or someone else wasting time.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the informal phrase Botar el tiempo is common. In some regions of Spain, you might hear the expression Tirar el tiempo a la bartola. In certain regions of Colombia, the expression Perder el tiempo en babosadas is used specifically to mean wasting your time on nonsense.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the general concept of wasting time, use the infinitive form perder el tiempo. If you want to express the continuous action of wasting time, such as in the sentence 'You are wasting your time', use the gerund perdiendo combined with the verb estar to say perdiendo el tiempo.
Did you know?
- The English word 'perdition', meaning eternal damnation, shares the exact same Latin root as the Spanish verb perder used in 'wasting your time'.
- In Colombia, wasting time on nonsense is described as perder el tiempo en babosadas, where babosadas refers to things as silly or mindless as drooling.
- The idiomatic expression Tirar el tiempo a la bartola is used in Spain, but the meaning of bartola is archaic and no longer refers to a specific object.
Examples in context
- No quiero que pierdas el tiempo en este proyectoI don't want you to waste your time on this project
- No malgastes tu tiempo en asuntos irrelevantesDon't waste your time on irrelevant matters
- No deberías desperdiciar tu tiempo en discusiones improductivasYou shouldn't waste your time on unproductive arguments
- No vale la pena tirar el tiempo en esa serieIt's not worth wasting your time on that TV show
- No pierdas el tiempo con él.Don't waste your time with him.
- Estás perdiendo el tiempo.You are wasting your time.
- No quiero perder el tiempo con este trabajo.I don't want to waste my time with this job.
Example conversation
María and Alejandro are discussing a slow computer.
- MaríaEste ordenador es muy lento.This computer is very slow.
- AlejandroNo deberías perder el tiempo intentando arreglarlo.You shouldn't waste your time trying to fix it.
- MaríaTienes razón, es demasiado viejo.You're right, it's too old.
- AlejandroMejor compra uno nuevo, María.Better buy a new one, María.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry perder el tiempo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, perder, tiempo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
