Ganhar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

ganhar — to win — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to win, and it is completely regular: ganho, ganhas, ganha, ganhamos, ganhais, ganham. Its pretérito perfeito is ganhei, ganhaste, ganhou, and its participle is ganhado. It also means to earn, as in earning money. On this page you will find ganhar 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. The full conjugation tables are on the ganhar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the ganhar present tense page.

Example sentences with ganhar

In the present tense

  • “Eu ganho o jogo todos os dias.” — “I win the game”
  • “Tu ganhas o jogo todos os dias.” — “You win the game”
  • “Ele ganha o jogo todos os dias.” — “He wins the game”
  • “Nós ganhamos o jogo todos os dias.” — “We win the game”
  • “Vós ganhais o jogo todos os dias.” — “You win the game”
  • “Eles ganham o jogo todos os dias.” — “They win the game”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu ganhei o jogo ontem.” — “I won the game”
  • “Tu ganhaste o jogo ontem.” — “You won the game”
  • “Ele ganhou o jogo ontem.” — “He won the game”
  • “Nós ganhámos o jogo ontem.” — “We won the game”
  • “Vós ganhastes o jogo ontem.” — “You won the game”
  • “Eles ganharam o jogo ontem.” — “They won the game”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu ganhava o jogo antigamente.” — “I used to win the game”
  • “Tu ganharás o jogo amanhã.” — “You will win the game”
  • “Ele ganharia o jogo um dia.” — “He would win the game”
  • “É importante que nós ganhemos o jogo.” — “It is important that we win the game”
  • “Ganha o jogo!” — “Win the game!”

How ganhar is used

The first thing to know about ganhar is its core meaning: to win. It means to win, and it is completely regular: ganho, ganhas, ganha, ganhamos, ganhais, ganham. Its pretérito perfeito is ganhei, ganhaste, ganhou, and its participle is ganhado. It also means to earn, as in earning money. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company ganhar keeps. The present eu form is ganho, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho ganhado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what ganhar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need ganho, never ganhar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho ganhado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle ganhado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Ganhar in context

Eu ganho o jogo todos os dias. Tu ganhas o jogo todos os dias. Ele ganha o jogo todos os dias. Nós ganhamos o jogo todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of ganhar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — ganho, ganhas, ganha, ganhamos — while the meaning stays the same: to win. Eu ganhei o jogo ontem. Tu ganhaste o jogo ontem. Ele ganhou o jogo ontem. Nós ganhámos o jogo ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of ganhar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to win — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu ganhar o jogo.”

✓ Right: “Eu ganho o jogo todos os dias.”

The infinitive ganhar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form ganho.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu ganhas o jogo.”

✓ Right: “Eu ganho o jogo todos os dias.”

ganhas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is ganho — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu ganho o jogo ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu ganhei o jogo ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito ganhei here, not the present ganho.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou ganhado o jogo.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho ganhado o jogo esta semana.”

ganhar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho ganhado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on ganhar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of ganhar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) ganho
    • B) ganhas
    • C) ganha
    • D) ganhamos

  2. What is the eu form of ganhar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens ganhado
    • B) tem ganhado
    • C) tenho ganhado
    • D) temos ganhado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of ganhar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) ganhavas
    • B) ganhávamos
    • C) ganháveis
    • D) ganhava

  4. What is the nós form of ganhar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) ganharemos
    • B) ganharei
    • C) ganharás
    • D) ganhará

  5. What is the tu form of ganhar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) ganharia
    • B) ganharias
    • C) ganharíamos
    • D) ganharíeis

  6. What is the eu form of ganhar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) ganharas
    • B) ganháramos
    • C) ganhara
    • D) ganháreis

  7. What is the nós form of ganhar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) ganhe
    • B) ganhes
    • C) ganheis
    • D) ganhemos

  8. What is the gerund of ganhar?

    • A) ganhando
    • B) ganhado
    • C) ganhar
    • D) ganho

  9. What is the past participle of ganhar?

    • A) ganhando
    • B) ganhado
    • C) ganhar
    • D) ganho

  10. What does ganhar mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to win
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) ganhas — the correct form is ganhas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho ganhado — the correct form is tenho ganhado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) ganhava — the correct form is ganhava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) ganharemos — the correct form is ganharemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) ganharias — the correct form is ganharias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) ganhara — the correct form is ganhara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ganhemos — the correct form is ganhemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) ganhando — the correct form is ganhando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) ganhado — the correct form is ganhado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to win — the correct form is to win. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does ganhar mean in English?

ganhar means “to win”. You use it whenever you talk about to win in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is ganhar regular or irregular?

ganhar is regular. ganhar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of ganhar?

The gerund is ganhando and the past participle is ganhado. The perfect tenses use ter + ganhado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of ganhar?

On the ganhar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The ganhar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

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

Related pages