Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| победи́ть | pobedítʹ | perfective |
| побежда́ть | pobeždátʹ | imperfective |
| поби́ть | pobítʹ | perfective |
| выи́грывать | vyígryvatʹ | imperfective |
| вы́играть | výigratʹ | perfective |
Russian uses different verbs to express 'win' based on what is being won. Use победи́ть for abstract or grand victories, such as winning a war, a battle or a competition or when the focus is on overcoming an obstacle. Use вы́играть when the focus is on obtaining a prize, a game or a specific amount of money.
Which one should you use?
The forms победи́ть and вы́играть are not interchangeable. Use победи́ть when the meaning is to defeat an opponent. In contrast, use вы́играть when you are winning a prize, a game or an object. Additionally, the forms побежда́ть and выи́грывать are the imperfective versions of their respective perfective counterparts, while поби́ть is a separate perfective form.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The choice of aspect determines how the action is described. The perfective form победи́ть is used to describe a single, completed act of victory. The imperfective form побежда́ть is used to describe a repeated action of winning or a continuous state of victory. Similarly, вы́играть is the perfective form for winning prizes, while выи́грывать is the imperfective form.
How do you pronounce it?
pobedítʹ
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use вы́играть for all contexts of 'win', but победи́ть is required when the meaning is 'to defeat an enemy'.
Did you know?
- Using вы́играть when you mean you defeated a person can accidentally imply that the human opponent is a prize or trophy you have physically won.
- While English speakers 'win' an argument, Russians typically use verbs of defeat to describe this, framing the conversation as a battle rather than a game.
- The word вы́играть is built from the root игра́ть, which means 'to play'. Literally, winning a prize in Russian is framed as 'playing out' a result.
Examples in context
- Наша команда победила в финале турнира.Our team won in the final of the tournament.
- Я выиграл автомобиль в лотерее.I won a car in the lottery.
- Он всегда выигрывает в шахматы.He always wins at chess.
- Я побеждаю свои страхи каждый день.I overcome my fears every day.
- Он смог победи́ть в этой гонке.On smog pobedit' v etoy gonke.He was able to win this race.
- Наша команда должна победи́ть сегодня.Nashá kománda dolzhná pobedit' segódnya.Our team must win today.
- Ты сможешь победи́ть в этом споре.Ty smozhesh' pobedit' v etom spore.You will be able to win this argument.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a chess tournament.
- Александр AleksandrТы сможешь победи́ть в финале?Ty smozhesh' pobedit' v finále?Will you be able to win in the final?
- Анастасия AnastasiaЯ очень хочу победи́ть, Александр.Ya ochen' khochu pobedit', Aleksandr.I really want to win, Alexander.
- Александр AleksandrТы отличный игрок, Анастасия.Ty otlichnyy igrok, Anastasiya.You are a great player, Anastasia.
- Анастасия AnastasiaСпасибо за поддержку!Spasibo za podderzhku!Thanks for the support!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “win” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
