Key Facts
- Hangul: 잃어버리다 (ireobeorida)
- Meaning: to lose
- Part of speech: verb (동사)
- Level: A2
- Stem: 잃어버리
- Class: regular
- Polite present: 잃어버려요
- Polite past: 잃어버렸어요
- Formal present: 잃어버립니다
- Objects: transitive
What Does 잃어버리다 (to lose) Mean?
- to lose. Lose something and no longer have it, as in 지갑을 잃어버리다.
Particles and objects. The lost thing takes 을/를 (지갑을 잃어버려요).
How Do You Pronounce 잃어버리다 (to lose)?
잃어버리다 (to lose) is pronounced [이러버리다]: the ㅎ of the final cluster ㅀ in 잃 is silent, and the ㄹ moves across to the next syllable. Revised Romanization: ireobeorida.
Sound changes in the conjugated forms (standard pronunciation):
- 잃어버려요 sounds like [이러버려요]
- 잃어버렸어요 sounds like [이러버려써요]
- 잃어버릴 거예요 sounds like [이러버릴꺼예요]
- 잃어버리겠어요 sounds like [이러버리게써요]
- 잃어버립니다 sounds like [이러버림니다]
How Do You Use 잃어버리다 (to lose) in a Sentence?
저는 자주 우산을 잃어버려요.
I often lose my umbrella.
Form shown: polite present (잃어버려요).
어제 지하철에서 지갑을 잃어버렸어요.
I lost my wallet on the subway yesterday.
Form shown: polite past (잃어버렸어요).
길을 잃어버려서 늦었어요.
I got lost, so I was late.
Form shown: because / and then (잃어버려서).
Ireobeorida Conjugation: What Are the Forms of 잃어버리다 (to lose)?
잃어버리다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 잃어버려요 | ||
| Polite past | 잃어버렸어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 잃어버릴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 잃어버리겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 잃어버립니다 | ||
| Formal past | 잃어버렸습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 잃어버릴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 잃어버려 | ||
| Casual past | 잃어버렸어 | ||
| Casual future | 잃어버릴 거야 | ||
| Honorific polite | 잃어버리세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 잃어버려서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 잃어버리면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 잃어버리는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 잃어버린 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 잃어버릴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 잃어버려요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 잃어버리지 않아요 |
| Form | Korean | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 잃어버려요 | [이러버려요] |
| Polite past | 잃어버렸어요 | [이러버려써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 잃어버릴 거예요 | [이러버릴꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 잃어버리겠어요 | [이러버리게써요] |
| Formal present | 잃어버립니다 | [이러버림니다] |
| Formal past | 잃어버렸습니다 | [이러버렫씀니다] |
| Formal future | 잃어버릴 것입니다 | [이러버릴꺼심니다] |
| Casual present | 잃어버려 | [이러버려] |
| Casual past | 잃어버렸어 | [이러버려써] |
| Casual future | 잃어버릴 거야 | [이러버릴꺼야] |
| Honorific polite | 잃어버리세요 | [이러버리세요] |
| Because / and then | 잃어버려서 | [이러버려서] |
| If (conditional) | 잃어버리면 | [이러버리면] |
| Present modifier | 잃어버리는 | [이러버리는] |
| Past modifier | 잃어버린 | [이러버린] |
| Future modifier | 잃어버릴 | [이러버릴] |
| Short negative | 안 잃어버려요 | [안 이러버려요] |
| Long negative | 잃어버리지 않아요 | [이러버리지 아나요] |
What 잃어버리다 does not have.
- Want to (polite): losing something is not a planned action, so -고 싶다 is rarely used with this verb.
Is 잃어버리다 (to lose) Regular or Irregular?
잃어버리다 is regular: the only change is the usual contraction of 리 plus 어 into 려, giving 잃어버려요 and 잃어버렸어요. Lesson: polite present recipe. Tool: conjugator.
What Is the Most Common Mistake with 잃어버리다 (to lose)?
Wrong: ✗ 지갑을 잊어버렸어요 (meaning lost)
Correct: ✓ 지갑을 잃어버렸어요
Why: 잃다/잃어버리다 means lose; 잊다/잊어버리다 means forget, and the two are often confused.
They look alike on paper, because only the final consonant of the first syllable differs: ㅀ in 잃, ㅈ in 잊. Ask yourself whether the thing is gone (잃어버렸어요) or slipped your mind.
How Is 잃어버리다 (to lose) Different from Similar Words?
| Word | How it differs from 잃어버리다 |
|---|---|
| 잊어버리다 | 잃어버리다 is to lose an object or way; 잊어버리다 is to forget a thing or fact. |
| 지다 | 잃어버리다 is to lose a possession; 지다 is to lose a game or contest. |
Reporting a Missing Wallet at a Station
A traveler approaches a station employee after a subway journey. The past form reports the loss, and the modifier 잃어버린 identifies the missing wallet.
Traveler
지갑을 잃어버렸어요.
Jigabeul ireobeoryeosseoyo.
I lost my wallet.
Station employee
어디에서 잃어버렸어요?
Eodieseo ireobeoryeosseoyo?
Where did you lose it?
Traveler
지하철에서요.
Jihacheoreseoyo.
On the subway.
Station employee
잃어버린 지갑은 무슨 색이에요?
Ireobeorin jigabeun museun saegieyo?
What colour is the wallet you lost?
어디에서 asks where the loss happened. The traveler answers with just 지하철에서요 because the rest of the sentence is already understood. The employee’s final question narrows the search to a description of the wallet. Neither speaker needs to repeat “my” once the owner is clear.
What Information Helps When You Report a Loss?
Start with the missing item and 잃어버렸어요. The past form is useful because the loss has happened and the object is still missing. 지갑을 잃어버렸어요 gives the listener a concrete problem; it does not claim that someone stole the wallet.
Add a place with 에서 when you know where you lost it. In the existing example 어제 지하철에서 지갑을 잃어버렸어요, 어제 supplies the time and 지하철에서 supplies the setting. Both details can help an employee understand which journey or location you mean.
If you know you left an item at a particular place, 두고 오다 means to leave something behind and come away. That describes the sequence more precisely. 잃어버리다 focuses on the loss itself, even when you cannot explain exactly how it happened.
Common Combinations: Possessions and Direction
지갑을 잃어버리다, 열쇠를 잃어버리다, and 휴대폰을 잃어버리다 describe losing a wallet, keys, and a mobile phone. Keep the object marker on the missing thing. The verb works the same way whether the item is cheap, valuable, or personally important.
길을 잃어버리다 literally means “to lose the way” and naturally means “to get lost”. The road has not disappeared; you no longer know which route to follow. In the earlier example, 잃어버려서 connects that problem to the result of being late.
The shorter 길을 잃다 also means to get lost. Recognizing both versions helps when directions or travel stories switch between the shorter and longer verb. The longer form is especially useful for expressing the completed, unfortunate result of a loss.
Why the Spelling and Ending Need Attention
Write 잃어버리다 as one word. The first syllable keeps ㅀ even though the ㅎ is silent before 어. In 잊어버리다, “to forget”, the first syllable instead ends in ㅈ. The distinction remains visible throughout conjugation.
The ending changes at the far end of the word: 잃어버리 plus 어요 becomes 잃어버려요. With the conditional ending, you get 잃어버리면. There is no extra ㄹ inserted into 버리. A stem ending in 리 does not automatically belong to the 르-irregular class.
The table’s 잃어버린 is useful before a noun: 잃어버린 지갑 means “the wallet someone lost”. It describes the wallet through the completed event. The question in the dialogue uses this form to ask about its colour, rather than asking whether the traveler often loses things.
Where Will You Hear the Verb?
At a station, hotel reception, or police desk, 잃어버렸어요 is ordinary spoken Korean. A form or official notice may use 분실, the noun for loss of an item. 분실물 means lost property. These words often appear where staff collect or return belongings.
In conversation, a question about losing something can express concern rather than blame. The verb itself does not explain carelessness, theft, or another cause. If you only know that an item is missing, reporting the loss lets you avoid guessing what happened.
Useful Words around Lost Property
| Korean | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 분실물 | lost property | Useful on signs and service-desk labels. |
| 지갑 | wallet | A common object of 잃어버리다. |
| 열쇠 | key | Describe which key if you have several. |
| 찾다 | to look for / find | Covers the search or recovery, depending on context. |
The travel vocabulary lesson supplies more words for asking for help away from home.
Mini Drill: Describe the Loss
- Give the polite past of 잃어버리다.
- Complete “the wallet I lost”: ____ 지갑.
- Give the conditional “if someone loses it”.
- Choose 잃어버리다 or 지다 for losing a football match.
Show drill answers
- 잃어버렸어요.
- 잃어버린 지갑.
- 잃어버리면.
- 지다. 잃어버리다 concerns losing something you had or losing your way.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 잃어버렸어요 mean someone stole the item?
- What does 길을 잃어버리다 mean?
- Which first syllable belongs to losing: 잃 or 잊?
Show answers
- No. It reports loss without specifying its cause.
- To get lost.
- 잃, with the final cluster ㅀ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 잃어버리다 Regular or Irregular?
Regular. The only change is the usual contraction of 리 plus 어 into 려: 잃어버려요 in the polite present and 잃어버렸어요 in the polite past.
How Do You Say "I Often Lose My Umbrella" in Korean?
Say 저는 자주 우산을 잃어버려요. In this sentence the verb is in the polite present form, 잃어버려요.
How Do You Make 잃어버리다 Negative?
There are two ways. The short form puts 안 in front of the verb: 안 잃어버려요. The long form is 잃어버리지 않아요.
Can You Say "I Want to Lose" with 잃어버리다?
Rarely. Losing something is not a planned action, so this page gives no want-to form.
Which Particles Go with 잃어버리다?
The lost thing takes 을/를 (지갑을 잃어버려요).
What Is the Difference between 잃어버리다 (to lose) and 잊어버리다?
잃어버리다 is to lose an object or way; 잊어버리다 is to forget a thing or fact.
Which Words Are Related to 잃어버리다 (to lose)?
What Should You Learn Next?
Next: 찾다, or browse the verb dictionary.