gagner Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

gagner — win — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. gagner is the verb for talking about sport: it comes up whenever you talk about describing work and money or winning a competition. On this page you will find gagner in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with gagner

In the present tense

  • “Je gagne le match.” — “I win the match.”
  • “Tu gagnes de l'argent.” — “You win some money.”
  • “Il gagne un prix.” — “He wins a prize.”
  • “Nous gagnons souvent.” — “We win often.”
  • “Vous gagnez le match.” — “You win the match.”
  • “Ils gagnent de l'argent.” — “They win some money.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai gagné le match cette semaine.” — “I have won the match this week.”
  • “Tu as gagné de l'argent cette semaine.” — “You have won some money this week.”
  • “Il a gagné un prix cette semaine.” — “He has won a prize this week.”
  • “Nous avons gagné souvent cette semaine.” — “We have won often this week.”
  • “Vous avez gagné le match cette semaine.” — “You have won the match this week.”
  • “Ils ont gagné de l'argent cette semaine.” — “They have won some money this week.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present subjunctive — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je gagnais le match avant.” — “I used to win the match before.”
  • “Je gagnerai de l'argent demain.” — “I will win some money tomorrow.”
  • “Je gagnerais un prix un jour.” — “I would win a prize one day.”
  • “Bien que il gagne souvent” — “Although he wins often.”

gagner in context

Je gagne le match. Tu gagnes de l'argent. Il gagne un prix. Nous gagnons souvent.

I win the match. You win some money. He wins a prize. We win often.

J'ai gagné le match. Il a gagné de l'argent. Nous avons gagné un prix.

I have won the match this week. He has won some money this week. We have won a prize this week.

Common mistakes with gagner

Mistake 1

Wrong: Je gagner le match.

Right: Je gagne le match.

The infinitive never takes a subject: after je you need the conjugated form gagne.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Je gagnons de l'argent.

Right: Je gagne de l'argent.

gagnons is the nous form. With je, use gagne.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Hier, je gagne un prix.

Right: Hier, j'ai gagné un prix.

Yesterday needs the passé composé ai gagné, not the present.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Bien que je gagne souvent.

Right: Bien que je gagne souvent.

After bien que French needs the subjunctive gagne.

Mistake 5

Wrong: Je gagnais le match hier. (said of one finished moment)

Right: J'ai gagné le match hier.

The imperfect describes an ongoing or repeated past. One finished moment yesterday takes the passé composé.

Quiz: test yourself on gagner

Ten questions on gagner. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the tu form of gagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) gagnez
    • B) gagnent
    • C) gagnons
    • D) gagnes

  2. What is the nous form of gagner in the Present indicative?

    • A) gagnes
    • B) gagnez
    • C) gagnons
    • D) gagnent

  3. What is the il/elle form of gagner in the Present perfect?

    • A) avez gagné
    • B) a gagné
    • C) avons gagné
    • D) ont gagné

  4. What is the je form of gagner in the Imperfect?

    • A) gagnais
    • B) gagnaient
    • C) gagniez
    • D) gagnait

  5. What is the nous form of gagner in the Future?

    • A) gagneras
    • B) gagnerons
    • C) gagnera
    • D) gagneront

  6. What is the tu form of gagner in the Conditional?

    • A) gagnerait
    • B) gagnerions
    • C) gagneraient
    • D) gagnerais

  7. What is the je form of gagner in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) gagnions
    • B) gagnent
    • C) gagniez
    • D) gagne

  8. What is the il/elle form of gagner in the Imperfect subjunctive?

    • A) gagnassiez
    • B) gagnât
    • C) gagnasses
    • D) gagnassent

  9. What is the gerund of gagner?

    • A) dormant
    • B) gagnant
    • C) buvant

  10. What is the past participle of gagner?

  • A) gagné
  • B) dormi
  • C) bu

Answer key

  1. D) gagnes — The tu form of gagner in the present indicative is gagnes.
  2. C) gagnons — The nous form of gagner in the present indicative is gagnons.
  3. B) a gagné — The il/elle form of gagner in the present perfect is a gagné.
  4. A) gagnais — The je form of gagner in the imperfect is gagnais.
  5. B) gagnerons — The nous form of gagner in the future is gagnerons.
  6. D) gagnerais — The tu form of gagner in the conditional is gagnerais.
  7. D) gagne — The je form of gagner in the present subjunctive is gagne.
  8. B) gagnât — The il/elle form of gagner in the imperfect subjunctive is gagnât.
  9. B) gagnant — The gerund of gagner is en gagnant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  10. A) gagné — The past participle of gagner is gagné; perfect tenses use avoir + gagné.

Frequently asked questions

What does gagner mean in English?

gagner means “win”. You use it for talking about sport, for describing work and money, and for winning a competition.

Is gagner regular or irregular?

gagner is regular, and it is irregular in these tenses: none — it is regular in every tense. The gerund is en gagnant and the past participle is gagné.

How do I say “I win” in French?

Say “Je gagne le match.” — “I win the match.” The je form of the present is gagne.

Where can I see the full conjugation of gagner?

On the full conjugation page, which has every tense, and on the Gagner Present Tense Conjugation in French page.

How to practise gagner this week

Pick one tense a day and say five sentences with gagner out loud, using the examples on this page as your starting point. On the first day, use only the present tense and the complements from the examples above — le match, de l'argent and un prix — and change only the person, so you hear how gagne, gagnes and gagne sound next to each other. On the second day, retell yesterday in the passé composé with ai gagné and the other perfect forms from the table. On the third day, write three short plans for tomorrow in the future tense, and on the fourth day, turn them into polite conditional sentences. Keep a small notebook and write each new sentence down: seeing en gagnant and gagné in your own handwriting fixes them in memory far better than reading them once. Finally, take the quiz above again without looking at the answer key — when you can answer all ten questions from memory, move on to the next verb in the hub.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for gagner, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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