What does ganar in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word ganar in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use ganar in Spanish.

The word ganar in Spanish means win, earn, win, reach, improve, deserve, win, lose on purpose, let win, make money, earn money, save space, gain the trust of, earn the trust of, come out on top, gain ground, save time, gain time, buy time, win a suit, win a lawsuit, never get a break, have nothing but trouble, be on a winning streak. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word ganar

win

verbo transitivo (premio, beneficio)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Juan ha ganado el primer premio en la lotería.
Juan has just won the lottery jackpot.

earn

verbo transitivo (dinero, sueldo)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Los futbolistas ganan mucho dinero.
Footballers earn a lot of money.

win

verbo transitivo (competencia, partido)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
La selección española ganó el partido.
The Spanish national team won the match.

reach

verbo transitivo (cima, orilla: alcanzar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
La expedición suiza ganó la cima de la montaña.
The Swiss expedition reached the summit.

improve

verbo intransitivo (mejorar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
El salón gana mucho con las cortinas nuevas.
These new curtains have really improved the living room.

deserve

verbo pronominal (castigo: merecer)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Juan se ha ganado una bronca por suspender.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Juan studied very hard to become a biologist. He deserves his large salary.

win

verbo pronominal (premio: obtener) (competition, prize)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
No pueden participar del concurso los que se ganaron el primer premio en los últimos tres años.
Anybody who has won first prize in the last three years is not allowed to enter the contest.

lose on purpose, let win

locución verbal (perder adrede)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Sofía se dejó ganar para alegrar a su hija.
Sophia lost on purpose to cheer her daughter up.

make money, earn money

locución verbal (obtener ganancia)

Para poder ganar dinero mientras cursaba sus estudios, Carlos trabajaba por las noches en un restaurante.
To earn money while he was studying, Carlos worked in a restaurant at night.

save space

(en cuartos pequeños)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
La familia ganó espacio comprando camas cuchetas.
The family saved space buying bunk beds.

gain the trust of, earn the trust of

locución verbal (hacer que alguien confíe)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Al principio no se fiaba de mi, pero terminé ganándome su confianza.

come out on top

locución verbal (figurado (salir victorioso)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Juan ganó la partida y se quedó con el mejor puesto de trabajo.
Juan came out on top and ended up with the best job.

gain ground

locución verbal (hacer progresos)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
La empresa ganó terreno en el mercado internacional.
The company gained ground in the international market.

save time

locución verbal (ahorrar tiempo)

Si usas la lavadora en lugar de lavar la ropa a mano, ganarás tiempo.
If you use a washing machine instead of washing by hand, you'll save time.

gain time, buy time

locución verbal (coloquial (lograr retrasar algo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Para ganar tiempo, el abogado pidió que se revisaran nuevamente las evidencias.
To gain time, the attorney asked that the evidence be reviewed again.

win a suit, win a lawsuit

(favorecer el fallo a)

María ganó un juicio contra su empleador.
Maria won a lawsuit against her employer.

never get a break

locución verbal (no parar de tener contratiempos)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Juan no gana para disgustos en ese empleo. Es problema tras problema.
Juan never gets a break at that job. It is problem after problem.

have nothing but trouble

locución verbal (no parar de recibir sustos)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mauro no gana para sustos desde que llegó a la oficina.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Today is not going well, it is one thing after another.

be on a winning streak

locución verbal (tener ventaja)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Pablo tiene las de ganar en la competencia.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of ganar in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.