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To waste time, or to lose time?
Which is correct?

05/25/11

Since 'waste' can also have the conotation of 'loss', many students of English as a foreign language face some confusion when using one or the other word.

Portuguese language speakers especially confuse those words when using them in phrases related to time, like "wasting time" versus "losing time".

Here is the clarification on this matter:

"to waste time" is used when you choose to spend your time unproductively. Ex.: I wasted time watching that movie! Sue still wastes her time reading the newspaper! We won't waste our time going to that meeting!

"to lose time" is used when spending your time in something is out of your control. Ex.: I had to stand in line for three hours in order to pay that bill! Unbelievable how much time I lost today! We lost so much time in that trip! We had to wait 6 hours in the airport, for the next flight! You have lost much time already because of that bad relationship.

 

Did you really get it?

 

Try on your own:

 

1)  I am ________ my time talking to you. It's useless!

 

2)  Don't ________ your time going to that travel agency. They are really bad!

 

3) Paul ______ so much time last week because of those meetings.

 

4) We ended up _______ time waiting for her to come. And she never showed up!

 

5) You are  ______ your time browsing those useless and badly written websites! You'd better read something more productive!

 

 

 

 

 

How did you do?

 

Answers:

 

1) wasting 2) waste 3) lost 4) losing 5) wasting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not clear yet?  Waste no more time - ask questions!

 

   

 Just to wrap this up, read this: Time Scarcity

 

 

Dúvidas sobre este tema?

Gramática, cultura, expressões idiomáticas em inglês? 

Drop me a line at:

 

 

Dúvidas de vocabulário? Here is the solution: 

http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-portuguese/catch
Dicionário online, inglês-português

Vocabulário e Pronúncia?

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/home
Merriam-Webster, Dicionário online inglês-inglês

 

 

 

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