Imperfective: губи́ти — "to lose / keep losing (an object), to ruin" Perfective: загуби́ти — "to lose (once, an object)" Type: a prefix-derived aspect pair — the perfective загуби́ти adds the prefix за- to the imperfective губи́ти
губи́ти / загуби́ти is the verb for physically losing a thing — keys, a phone, a glove, a document. It is also one of the trickiest small verbs in the language, because it stacks two of Ukrainian's classic difficulties at once: the labial mutation б→бл (1sg гублю́, 3pl гу́блять) and a mobile stress that lands on the ending in the 1sg but on the root everywhere else (гублю́ but гу́биш). Both halves of the pair behave identically apart from the meaning and the prefix. A crucial extra layer: adding -ся turns "lose a thing" into "get lost" (губи́тися / загуби́тися), and Ukrainian uses different verbs for losing a game (програва́ти) and losing something abstract like time or hope (втрача́ти). Every form below is stress-marked.
Present tense — губи́ти (imperfective only)
Only the imperfective губи́ти has a present tense. It is a second-conjugation -и- verb, and it carries both traps in this one table: the б→бл mutation appears in the 1sg гублю́ (and again in the 3pl гу́блять), while the stress sits on the ending only in гублю́ and retreats to the root гу́- in the other five forms.
| Person | губи́ти — PRESENT | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | гублю́ | I lose / keep losing |
| ти | гу́биш | you lose (sg.) |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | гу́бить | he / she / it loses |
| ми | гу́бимо | we lose |
| ви | гу́бите | you lose (pl./formal) |
| вони́ | гу́блять | they lose |
The present describes a habit or tendency — someone who is always losing things. For one finished loss you switch to the perfective загуби́ти, which has no present.
Я пості́йно гублю́ парасо́льки — цьогорі́ч уже́ тре́тю.
I'm forever losing umbrellas — that's the third one this year. — habitual present гублю́, the б→бл mutation, end stress.
Ти за́вжди гу́биш ключі́, тому́ візьми́ запасні́.
You always lose your keys, so take a spare set. — 2sg гу́биш, root stress.
Past tense — губи́в / загуби́в
The past uses each aspect's own stem with the gendered -в / -ла / -ло / -ли endings, and here the stress is fixed on the root vowel -и- in both aspects (губи́в, загуби́в) — no shift, no mutation. The labial б→бл lives only in the present/future, never in the past.
| Gender / number | Perfective загуби́ти | Imperfective губи́ти |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | загуби́в | губи́в |
| feminine | загуби́ла | губи́ла |
| neuter | загуби́ло | губи́ло |
| plural | загуби́ли | губи́ли |
The perfective past загуби́в is the everyday "I lost it (and it's gone)." The imperfective past губи́в describes a repeated tendency: Він рока́ми губи́в рукави́чки "He lost gloves year after year."
Я десь загуби́в нову́ ка́ртку — доведе́ться її́ блокува́ти.
I lost my new card somewhere — I'll have to block it. — perfective past загуби́в, one completed loss.
У ди́тинстві вона́ ча́сто губи́ла рукави́чки по доро́зі до шко́ли.
As a child she often lost her gloves on the way to school. — imperfective past губи́ла, a recurring habit.
Future tense — perfective загуби́ти vs imperfective губи́ти
The perfective загуби́ти has no present; its conjugated forms are future. It mirrors губи́ти exactly: the б→бл mutation in the 1sg загублю́ and 3pl загу́блять, and the same mobile stress — ending in загублю́, root in загу́биш, загу́бить…
| Person | Perfective simple future (загуби́ти) | Imperfective analytic (бу́ду…) | Imperfective synthetic (-му) |
|---|---|---|---|
| я | загублю́ | бу́ду губи́ти | губи́тиму |
| ти | загу́биш | бу́деш губи́ти | губи́тимеш |
| він / вона́ / воно́ | загу́бить | бу́де губи́ти | губи́тиме |
| ми | загу́бимо | бу́демо губи́ти | губи́тимемо |
| ви | загу́бите | бу́дете губи́ти | губи́тимете |
| вони́ | загу́блять | бу́дуть губи́ти | губи́тимуть |
The б→бл mutation is the same one in роби́ти → роблю́ and люби́ти → люблю́: any root ending in б, п, в, м, ф inserts -л- in the 1sg and 3pl. The two imperfective futures (бу́ду губи́ти / губи́тиму) describe a future tendency and are far rarer than the perfective загублю́, since you usually talk about losing one specific thing.
Якщо́ не приши́ю ще́пку, я цей ґу́дзик неодмі́нно загублю́.
If I don't sew the toggle on, I'll definitely lose this button. — perfective future загублю́, б→бл, end stress.
Поклади́ квито́к у га́манець, інакше зна́єш, що ти його́ загу́биш.
Put the ticket in your wallet, otherwise you know you'll lose it. — 2sg future загу́биш, root stress, plain б.
Imperative
In practice you rarely order someone to lose something, so the affirmative imperative of this verb is uncommon; the negative imperative ("don't lose it!") is what you actually hear, and it normally uses the imperfective не губи́ — the standard Ukrainian pattern for prohibitions.
| Addressee | Perfective загуби́ти | Imperfective губи́ти |
|---|---|---|
| ти (informal) | загуби́ | губи́ / (не) губи́ |
| ви (formal / plural) | загубі́ть | губі́ть / (не) губі́ть |
| 3rd person (let him/them) | хай / неха́й загу́бить | хай / неха́й гу́бить |
Тримай квито́к мі́цно й не губи́ його́, бо ду́блікат не ви́дають.
Hold the ticket tight and don't lose it, because they don't issue duplicates. — negative imperative with the imperfective не губи́.
Reflexive: губи́тися / загуби́тися — "get lost"
Add -ся and the meaning flips from "lose a thing" to "be lost / get lost / go astray" — said of a person, an animal, or even a thought. Use загуби́тися for the completed event ("I got lost") and губи́тися for the process or tendency ("I keep getting lost"). The reflexive can also mean "to vanish / get mislaid" of an object that has gone missing on its own. See reflexive -ся meanings.
Не відходь дале́ко в на́товпі, бо загу́бишся.
Don't wander off in the crowd, or you'll get lost. — reflexive perfective future загу́бишся.
Десь у переписці загуби́лося ва́жливе повідо́млення.
An important message got lost somewhere in the correspondence. — reflexive past загуби́лося, of an object that went missing.
Participles and verbal adverbs
| Form | загуби́ти / губи́ти |
|---|---|
| passive past participle (pf.) | загу́блений "lost" |
| imperfective verbal adverb | гу́блячи "(while) losing" |
| perfective verbal adverb | загуби́вши "having lost" |
The participle загу́блений is everyday — загу́блена ди́тина "a lost child," загу́блений край "a forgotten, godforsaken place" (a common idiom). Note the stress retreats to загу́- in the participle.
Usage & government
1. губи́ти / загуби́ти + accusative — lose an object
The thing lost is the direct object in the accusative: загуби́ти ключі́, гама́нець, докуме́нти, телефо́н. No preposition. See accusative uses.
Він загуби́в обру́чку на пля́жі й так і не знайшо́в її́.
He lost his wedding ring on the beach and never found it. — accusative обру́чку.
2. Not for games — use програ́ти
You do not lose a match with губи́ти. A game, match, election, or bet is lost with програва́ти / програ́ти (+ accusative of the thing, or в / у + accusative of the contest). See вигравати / виграти for its opposite.
На́ша збі́рна програ́ла фіна́л у серії пена́льті.
Our national team lost the final on penalties. — програ́ти for a game, never загуби́ти.
3. Not for abstractions — use втра́тити
Losing time, money, hope, a chance, health, or a person is втрача́ти / втра́тити, not губи́ти. губи́ти a person literally means to ruin or destroy them — a different, weightier sense.
Не втрача́й наді́ї — все ще мо́же скла́стися до́бре.
Don't lose hope — things can still turn out well. — abstract loss takes втрача́ти, not губи́ти.
Common Mistakes
❌ Я гу́бю → Я часто гу́бю ключі́.
Missing consonant mutation — the 1sg of губи́ти is гублю́ with б→бл, never *гу́бю: Я ча́сто гублю́ ключі́.
✅ Я ча́сто гублю́ ключі́.
I often lose my keys.
❌ Я загублю́ → Я гу́блю цей квито́к за́втра.
Aspect error — a single completed future loss needs the PERFECTIVE загублю́; гу́блю (wrongly unstressed too) is the present-habit form: Я загублю́ цей квито́к. For a habit say Я ча́сто гублю́ квитки́.
✅ Я загублю́ цей квито́к.
I'll lose this ticket.
❌ На́ша кома́нда загуби́ла матч.
Wrong verb — you lose a game with програ́ти, not загуби́ти: На́ша кома́нда програ́ла матч.
✅ На́ша кома́нда програ́ла матч.
Our team lost the match.
❌ Я загуби́в бага́то ча́су на цьому́ завда́нні.
Wrong verb — losing time is втра́тити, not загуби́ти: Я втра́тив бага́то ча́су на цьому́ завда́нні.
✅ Я втра́тив бага́то ча́су на цьому́ завда́нні.
I lost a lot of time on this task.
❌ Я загуби́в у лі́сі.
Missing -ся — to say YOU got lost you need the reflexive: Я загуби́вся в лі́сі. Without -ся the sentence needs an object (you lost something).
✅ Я загуби́вся в лі́сі.
I got lost in the forest.
Key Takeaways
- Prefix pair: imperfective губи́ти
- prefix за- → perfective загуби́ти; both conjugate alike.
- Labial mutation: 1sg гублю́ / загублю́ and 3pl гу́блять / загу́блять insert -л- (б→бл); the middle persons keep plain б.
- Mobile stress: ending in гублю́ / загублю́, root in гу́биш, гу́бить… and in the participle загу́блений; past is end-stressed губи́в / загуби́в.
- Reflexive flip: add -ся → губи́тися / загуби́тися "get lost / go missing."
- Three "lose" verbs: губи́ти an object, програ́ти a game, втра́тити something abstract — never interchange them.
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