tú ganas
/tu ɡanas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you win" is translated into Spanish as tú ganas.
The phrase is used to tell someone that they have been victorious in a game or competition.
Which one should you use?
While tú ganas is the literal translation, in many Spanish-speaking contexts, the subject pronoun tú is often omitted, leaving just ganas.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ganas is the second-person singular present indicative of the verb ganar, used when addressing someone informally. To say "you win" in a formal context, you use the third-person singular form usted gana.
How do you pronounce it?
/tu ɡanas/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word ganas can also mean 'desires' or 'urges' when used as a noun. While tú ganas means 'you win', saying tengo ganas de… means 'I feel like…' or 'I have the desire to…'.
- The pronoun tú is a cognate of the archaic English word 'thou'. Both evolved from the same Proto-Indo-European root *túh₂.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, if you are winning a game too easily, an opponent might say ganaste instead of ganas. This uses the past tense to imply the game is already over, even if it is still being played.
Examples in context
- ¡Tú ganaste!You win!Tatoeba #4484022 by cueyayotl, translation #3284308 by Inego
- Vale, tú ganas.OK, you win.Tatoeba #11784887 by Masatami, translation #2722194 by Hybrid
- Tú ganas la tirada. La bola está en tu campo esta vez.You win the toss. The ball is in your court this time.Tatoeba #5891631 by albrusgher, translation #2028529 by divijo
- Felicitaciones, usted gana el premio al mejor estudiante.Congratulations, you win the award for the best student.
- ¡Buen juego, tú ganas!Good game, you win!
- Felicidades, eres el ganador de la apuesta.Congratulations, you are the winner of the bet.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are playing a board game.
- JavierSolo necesito un punto más.I only need one more point.
- Lucía¡Mira! Ya llegué a la meta.Look! I already reached the finish line.
- JavierEstá bien, tú ganas esta vez.Alright, you win this time.
- Lucía¡Gracias, Javier!Thank you, Javier!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ganas, tú, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
