The preterite of ganar is used to express when someone won something or earned money at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “I won the match yesterday” – “Gané el partido ayer.”
This verb follows the regular -ar conjugation pattern in the preterite tense. It can be used to describe both winning competitions and earning money or rewards.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Ganar (to win/earn) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | gané |
| Tú | ganaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | ganó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | ganamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | ganasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | ganaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Ganar (to win/earn) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Ganar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of ganar expresses specific instances of winning or earning.
To win: Used for specific victories, for example Ganó la lotería (She won the lottery).
To earn/make money: Refers to specific earnings, for example Ganaron mucho en ese proyecto (They earned a lot on that project).
Examples
Examples of Ganar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Gané el primer premio del concurso. (I won first prize in the contest.)
¿Cuánto dinero ganaste en tu primer trabajo? (How much money did you earn at your first job?)
El equipo local ganó el campeonato. (The local team won the championship.)
Ganamos mucha experiencia en ese proyecto. (We gained a lot of experience in that project.)
Los estudiantes ganaron la competencia. (The students won the competition.)
Gané confianza después de la presentación. (I gained confidence after the presentation.)
¿Ganaste la lotería? (Did you win the lottery?)
La empresa ganó un contrato importante. (The company won an important contract.)
Ganamos el partido de fútbol. (We won the soccer game.)
Los artistas ganaron un premio prestigioso. (The artists won a prestigious award.)
Gané tiempo tomando el atajo. (I saved time by taking the shortcut.)
Ganaste el respeto de todos. (You earned everyone’s respect.)
El candidato ganó las elecciones. (The candidate won the elections.)
Ganamos el debate escolar. (We won the school debate.)
Ganaron la batalla final. (They won the final battle.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Ganar (to win/earn) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo gané | I won |
| Tú ganaste | You won |
| Él / Ella / Usted ganó | He / She / You (formal) won |
| Nosotros / Nosotras ganamos | We won |
| Vosotros / Vosotras ganasteis | You all won |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes ganaron | They / You all (formal) won |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.