Ganar Conjugation in Spanish
ganar means "to win, to earn" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about winning — games, prizes, elections — and earning money at work, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of ganar in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Ganar is a regular -ar verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo gano el partido casi siempre. — "I win the match almost always.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: ganar
- English: to win, to earn
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Gerund: ganando
- Past participle: ganado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + ganado)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of ganar with all six persons. The gerund is ganando and the past participle is ganado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gano |
| tú | ganas |
| él/ella/Ud. | gana |
| nosotros/as | ganamos |
| vosotros/as | ganáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganan |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gané |
| tú | ganaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | ganó |
| nosotros/as | ganamos |
| vosotros/as | ganasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganaron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ganaba |
| tú | ganabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | ganaba |
| nosotros/as | ganábamos |
| vosotros/as | ganabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ganaré |
| tú | ganarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | ganará |
| nosotros/as | ganaremos |
| vosotros/as | ganaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ganaría |
| tú | ganarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | ganaría |
| nosotros/as | ganaríamos |
| vosotros/as | ganaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he ganado |
| tú | has ganado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha ganado |
| nosotros/as | hemos ganado |
| vosotros/as | habéis ganado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han ganado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había ganado |
| tú | habías ganado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había ganado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos ganado |
| vosotros/as | habíais ganado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían ganado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré ganado |
| tú | habrás ganado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá ganado |
| nosotros/as | habremos ganado |
| vosotros/as | habréis ganado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán ganado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría ganado |
| tú | habrías ganado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría ganado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos ganado |
| vosotros/as | habríais ganado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían ganado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | gane |
| tú | ganes |
| él/ella/Ud. | gane |
| nosotros/as | ganemos |
| vosotros/as | ganéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | ganara |
| tú | ganaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | ganara |
| nosotros/as | ganáramos |
| vosotros/as | ganarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | gana |
| él/ella/Ud. | gane |
| nosotros/as | ganemos |
| vosotros/as | ganad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | ganes |
| él/ella/Ud. | gane |
| nosotros/as | ganemos |
| vosotros/as | ganéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | ganen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | ganando |
| Past participle | ganado |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with ganar, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo gano el partido.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo gané el partido.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo ganaba el partido.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo ganaré el partido.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ganaría el partido si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he ganado el partido.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había ganado el partido antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré ganado el partido.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría ganado el partido si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él gane el partido.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él ganara el partido, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Gana el partido!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No ganes el partido.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with ganar, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo gano el partido casi siempre. — "I win the match almost always."
- ¿Tú ganas el partido este domingo? — "Will you win the match this Sunday?"
- Ayer gané el partido en el último minuto. — "Yesterday I won the match in the last minute."
- Nosotros ganábamos el partido cada semana. — "We used to win the match every week."
- Mañana ganaré el partido seguro. — "Tomorrow I will win the match for sure."
- Yo ganaría el partido si entrenara más. — "I would win the match if I trained more."
- Ya he ganado el partido tres veces. — "I have already won the match three times."
- Espero que gane el partido hoy. — "I hope he wins the match today."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with ganar — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo gané el partido — learners often write gane without the accent. → Right: Yo gané el partido.. The preterite yo form is gané, with an accent on the final e. Ganar is regular, so the accent is the only spelling point.
- Wrong: *Espero que tú ganas el partido. → Right: Espero que tú ganes el partido.. After espero que, use the subjunctive ganes, not the indicative ganas.
- Wrong: *Yo gano el partido — some learners confuse ganar with ganar meaning "to earn" and think it only means to win; it means both. → Right: Yo gano el partido.. Ganar covers both winning and earning: gano el partido (I win the match) and gano dinero (I earn money). The context tells you which sense applies.
- Wrong: *Yo he ganado el partido — learners sometimes write he gano instead of the participle. → Right: Yo he ganado el partido.. The perfect tenses use the participle ganado after haber: he ganado, not he gano.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on ganar. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of ganar in the present indicative?
- a) ganamos
- b) gano
- c) ganas
- d) gana
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of ganar in the preterite (past)?
- a) ganaste
- b) ganó
- c) ganamos
- d) gané
What is the nosotros/as form of ganar in the imperfect (past)?
- a) ganábamos
- b) ganabas
- c) ganaba
- d) ganaba
What is the tú form of ganar in the future?
- a) ganarás
- b) ganaremos
- c) ganará
- d) ganaré
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ganar in the conditional?
- a) ganarían
- b) ganarías
- c) ganaría
- d) ganaría
What is the yo form of ganar in the present subjunctive?
- a) ganes
- b) gane
- c) gane
- d) ganemos
What is the gerund of ganar?
- a) ganado
- b) ganando
- c) gana
- d) ganar
What is the past participle of ganar?
- a) ganando
- b) ganado
- c) he ganado
- d) gano
What does ganar mean in English?
- a) to whisper
- b) to rest
- c) to win, to earn
- d) to get angry
The form gané belongs to which tense?
- a) Future
- b) Present
- c) Imperfect
- d) Preterite
Answer key
- gano — The yo form in the present indicative is gano — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ganó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is ganó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ganábamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is ganábamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ganarás — The tú form in the future is ganarás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ganarían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is ganarían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- gane — The yo form in the present subjunctive is gane — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- ganando — The gerund is ganando — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy ganando). The past participle is ganado.
- ganado — The past participle is ganado — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he ganado).
- to win, to earn — ganar means "to win, to earn".
- Preterite — gané is the yo form of the preterite of ganar — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is ganaba.
Frequently asked questions
Is ganar regular?
Yes, ganar is a completely regular -ar verb: gano, ganas, gana, ganamos, ganáis, ganan. The preterite is gané, ganaste, ganó, and the participle is ganado.
Does ganar mean to win or to earn?
Both. Ganar el partido means to win the match, and ganar dinero means to earn money. Spanish uses one verb where English uses two, so always check the object: a game or prize means win, money or a salary means earn.
How do you say "to win the lottery" in Spanish?
Ganar la lotería — for example: Soñé que ganaba la lotería. The same verb works for games, prizes, elections and money.
What is the difference between ganar and vencer?
Ganar is the everyday verb for winning and earning, while vencer is more formal and literary, often used for defeating an enemy or overcoming a difficulty: Venció al cáncer. In daily life, use ganar.
Related pages
- Ganar in the present tense — the present tense of ganar in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Ganar examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with ganar and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Perder conjugation — another verb in the same family as ganar.
- Jugar conjugation — another verb in the same family as ganar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise ganar with this tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise ganar with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.