лишиться + Genitive
Lose or Be Deprived of
The verb лишиться (perfective) or лишаться (imperfective) means "to lose" or "to be deprived of." It indicates that possession of something has been severed, and it always takes the Genitive case.
How It Works
1. Grammatical Structure
The verbs strictly require the Genitive case for the object or person that is lost or taken away: лишаться / лишиться + Genitive.
2. Meaning and Nuance
Use лишиться when possession is severed. This can apply to abstract concepts (лишиться сна - to lose sleep, лишиться премии - to lose a bonus), rights, or physical objects that are taken away, stolen, or destroyed. It is also frequently used with animate nouns to express the loss of loved ones.
3. Contrast with Потерять
The verb потерять is the broader, more neutral default for "to lose." While it is used for misplacing physical items, it is also frequently used for permanent or abstract losses (e.g., потерять работу - to lose a job, потерять семью - to lose one's family). Лишиться specifically emphasizes that possession has been severed, often implying a more formal or dramatic deprivation. While потерять is the everyday default for misplacing things, лишиться elevates the register or emphasizes the dramatic impact, and can still be used for accidental loss in formal or journalistic contexts (e.g., турист по невнимательности лишился кошелька - the tourist carelessly lost his wallet).
4. Set Phrases (Фразеологизмы)
This verb is part of several highly common fixed expressions, such as лишиться чувств (to faint/lose consciousness), лишиться дара речи (to lose the power of speech/be left speechless), and лишиться ума or лишиться рассудка (to lose one's mind).
5. The Active Verbs: Лишать / Лишить
The active counterparts, лишать (imperfective) and лишить (perfective), meaning "to deprive someone of something," take an Accusative direct object for the person and the Genitive for the thing taken away (e.g., Суд лишил его прав - The court deprived him of his rights).
Examples (6)
- В результате аварии он лишился зрения.
As a result of the accident, he lost his eyesight.
Word by Word: In result of accident he was deprived of eyesight.
A classic use of the pattern with an abstract faculty noun, showing an involuntary loss.
- За это нарушение водитель может лишиться прав.
For this violation, a driver can lose their license.
Word by Word: For this violation driver can be deprived of rights.
A highly common everyday collocation. 'Права' (driver's license/rights) takes the Genitive plural 'прав'.
- Из-за кризиса многие люди лишились работы.
Because of the crisis, many people lost their jobs.
Word by Word: Because of crisis many people were deprived of work.
Demonstrates the loss of something essential (a job). 'Работа' becomes 'работы' in the Genitive case.
- В раннем детстве она лишилась родителей.
In early childhood, she lost her parents.
Word by Word: In early childhood she was deprived of parents.
Demonstrates the use of the pattern with animate nouns to express the tragic loss of loved ones or providers.
- Во время пожара семья лишилась дома и всего имущества.
During the fire, the family lost their home and all their property.
Word by Word: During fire family was deprived of house and all property.
Shows that concrete nouns (house, property) can be used with this verb when the context is destruction or severed possession, not just misplacement.
- От неожиданности она лишилась дара речи.
She was left speechless from surprise.
Word by Word: From unexpectedness she was deprived of gift of speech.
Demonstrates a common set phrase (фразеологизм) where 'лишиться' is used to mean losing a physical or mental faculty, in this case, the power of speech.
Common Mistakes
Using the Accusative case instead of the Genitive.
Из-за кризиса он лишился работу.Из-за кризиса он лишился работы.Because it translates to the English transitive verb 'to lose', learners often treat it like a standard transitive verb. However, лишиться strictly governs the Genitive case, not the Accusative.
Using лишиться for everyday misplaced items in casual conversation.
Я не знаю, где мои ключи, кажется, я их лишился.Я не знаю, где мои ключи, кажется, я их потерял.While лишиться can be used for accidental loss in formal or journalistic contexts, using it for everyday misplaced items (like keys or a phone) in casual conversation sounds unnaturally dramatic or overly formal. Use потерять for everyday misplacing.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the pattern 'лишиться + родительный', a learner must be comfortable with the formation and usage of the genitive case for nouns. Additionally, since 'лишиться' is a reflexive verb, the learner needs to understand how the suffix -ся/-сь functions and how inherent reflexive verbs (which don't necessarily mean 'to oneself') operate in Russian.
- -ся/-сьReflexive Suffix -ся/-сь
The verb 'лишиться' is a reflexive verb, so understanding the reflexive suffix is necessary for its conjugation.
Level 2 - Inherent reflexive verbs
This pattern involves an inherent reflexive verb that does not express a direct reflexive action, but rather a specific lexical meaning governing a case.
Level 2 - Genitive of possession or association
The pattern requires knowledge of the genitive case forms, as the object of deprivation must be in the genitive.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- Accusative direct object
Contrasts with the verb потерять (to lose), which takes the Accusative direct object for misplacing physical items, unlike лишиться which requires the Genitive.
Level 2 - нет / не было / не будет + GenitiveGenitive with Absence and Negated Existence
Both patterns use the Genitive case to express the fundamental absence, lack, or loss of something.
Level 3 - избежать + GenitiveAvoid with Genitive
Another advanced verb that strictly governs the Genitive case rather than the Accusative, often used in similar formal or consequential contexts.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice лишиться + Genitive in Bubblegum
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