We Don’t Want To Lose Our Money In Spanish

“No queremos perder nuestro dinero” is the Spanish equivalent of “We don’t want to lose our money,” using the infinitive form because the subject stays the same.

You’re on a group trip to Mexico City, and someone suggests a sketchy currency exchange booth. You turn to your friends: “We don’t want to lose our money.” Everyone nods. But if you had to say it in Spanish on the spot, would you reach for the subjunctive or stick with the infinitive?

Most learners hesitate right there. The Spanish translation of that sentence is simpler than it looks — once you understand one key grammar rule. This article walks through the phrase itself, explains why the subjunctive doesn’t appear here, and covers similar expressions you’ll actually use in real conversations.

The Phrase: No Queremos Perder Nuestro Dinero

The direct translation from SpanishDict confirms it: No queremos perder nuestro dinero means “We don’t want to lose our money.” Every word pulls its weight. No negates the whole idea. Queremos is the “we” form of querer (to want). Perder stays in its infinitive form — it means “to lose.”

The possessive adjective nuestro (our) agrees in gender and number with dinero, which is masculine singular. Leave out nuestro and you get no queremos perder dinero — a more general “we don’t want to lose money.” That small change shifts the focus from “our” money to money in general, and it’s perfectly natural in casual speech.

Why The Same-Subject Rule Matters

Here’s the mistake many students make: they hear “I don’t want that…” and automatically think subjunctive. But in this phrase, both verbs (queremos and perder) share the same subject — “we.” When the subject doesn’t change, Spanish keeps the second verb in the infinitive. No subjunctive needed.

• Infinitive with same subject: No queremos perder nuestro dinero. (We don’t want to lose our money.)
• Subjunctive with different subject: No queremos que ellos pierdan nuestro dinero. (We don’t want them to lose our money.)
• No “que” = no subjunctive clause: The conjunction que introduces a new subject, triggering the subjunctive. Without it, the infinitive stays.
• Stem changes inside infinitives: Both querer and perder are e-ie stem-changing verbs when conjugated, but the infinitive perder doesn’t change — it stays perder.
• Negative opinion triggers: Phrases like no creo que (I don’t think that) do require subjunctive, but they always come with a different subject in the next clause.

This rule — “same subject, infinitive; different subject, subjunctive” — is one of the most practical shortcuts in Spanish grammar. Memorize it and you’ll avoid a whole category of errors.

Subjunctive vs. Infinitive: The Key Distinction

The Spanish subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. It appears in dependent clauses that express doubt, emotion, desire, or negation — but only when the clause has its own subject. Appalachian State University’s resource on the Four Subjunctive Tenses breaks down the present, imperfect, present perfect, and pluperfect forms. None apply to no queremos perder because there’s no subordinate clause.

Compare these two scenarios side by side:

Notice the pattern. Every time a new subject appears after que, the second verb shifts into subjunctive. When the subject stays the same, the infinitive does the job.

Breaking Down The Vocabulary

Let’s unpack each piece so you can reuse them in other sentences. Each word follows predictable patterns that you’ll encounter again and again.

1. No: The universal negator. Placed directly before the verb phrase: No queremos (We don’t want).
2. Queremos: First-person plural present indicative of querer. Stem-changing (e to ie): quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren.
3. Perder: Infinitive of “to lose.” Also stem-changing (e to ie) when conjugated: pierdo, pierdes, pierde, perdemos, perdéis, pierden. But as an infinitive it stays regular.
4. Nuestro: Possessive adjective meaning “our.” Agrees with the noun: nuestro dinero (masculine singular). For feminine nouns: nuestra casa (our house).
5. Dinero: Masculine noun meaning “money.” No gender surprises — it’s always el dinero.

When You Might Actually Need The Subjunctive

The phrase no queremos perder nuestro dinero doesn’t trigger subjunctive, but similar sentences about money often do. SpanishDict’s entry on No queremos perder nuestro dinero shows the basic translation; tweak the structure and you’ll need the subjunctive.

Here are three common money-related situations that do require it:

Notice the pattern: when the main verb expresses emotion, doubt, or a negative opinion about someone else’s action, the subjunctive appears. When you’re just stating your own desire to do something yourself, the infinitive is all you need.

The Bottom Line

The translation of “We don’t want to lose our money” in Spanish is No queremos perder nuestro dinero. It uses the infinitive because the subject of both verbs is the same — a consistent rule in Spanish grammar. The subjunctive only enters the picture when a new subject appears after que, as in No queremos que ellos pierdan nuestro dinero.

If you’re learning Spanish for travel, business, or everyday conversation, practicing this distinction with a native-speaking tutor or through a conversation course can help you internalize when to use the infinitive versus the subjunctive — especially in high-stakes situations where you really don’t want to lose money.