Perder vs. Faltar: Miss an Event or Be Absent in Portuguese
Perder a reunião means miss the meeting; faltar à reunião means be absent from it. The verb choice changes the point of view.
Real Life Portuguese · 6 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Perder means to lose, miss, or fail to catch something. Use it for a bus you did not catch, an event you missed, or an opportunity that passed: perder o ônibus, perder uma reunião, perder uma chance.
Use perder when you miss or lose something
This verb presents the event as something that got away from you. It is often the direct choice when the focus is the missed event or opportunity, rather than your attendance record.
Perdi o ônibus por dois minutos.
I missed the bus by two minutes.
Ela perdeu a primeira parte do filme.
She missed the first part of the movie.
Não quero perder essa oportunidade.
I don’t want to miss this opportunity.
Use faltar to say someone is absent or something is missing
Faltar means to be absent, be missing, or be lacking. To say someone did not attend an event, use faltar a: faltei à aula (I missed class / I was absent from class). In conversation, the contraction faltei na aula is also heard in Brazil, while faltar à aula is a useful standard pattern to learn.
Faltar can also describe time or items that remain: faltam dois dias (two days are left), falta sal (salt is missing). In these sentences, the subject may be the thing or amount that is missing, so verb agreement can change.
Ele faltou à reunião de manhã.
He was absent from the morning meeting.
Faltam três páginas para terminar o livro.
There are three pages left to finish the book.
Ainda falta comprar o café.
We still need to buy the coffee.
Put it into practice
Perder focuses on something missed or lost. Faltar describes absence, something missing, or an amount left. For attendance, faltar à aula and perder a aula are both possible, with a different emphasis.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I don’t want to miss this opportunity”?
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