Portuguese · Everyday Verbs

"to win" in Portuguese: ganhar

ganhar

gah-NYAHRverb/ɡa.ˈɲaʁ/

Note: also: vencer

To win in Portuguese is ganhar. Say eu ganho and Nós ganhamos o jogo. Vencer is a synonym; keep ganhar in the sentence for this word.

Sports

Eu ganho fácil quando treino a semana toda.

I win easily when I train all week.

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How to pronounce ganhar

Say it

gah-NYAHR

/ɡa.ˈɲaʁ/

gah-NYAHR

"to win" in Portuguese: quick reference

Portuguese	English	When to use
ganhar	to win / to earn Dictionary form.	Dictionary form.
eu ganho	I win / I earn First person verb.	First person verb.
ganhamos	we win / we won (hist.) Team talk.	Team talk.
vencer	to win / defeat Synonym; related.	Synonym; related.

How to use ganhar in real life

1Sports
Eu ganho fácil quando treino a semana toda.
I win easily when I train all week.
Present.
2Raffle
Você ganha um brinde se completar o cartão.
You win a gift if you fill the card.
Promo.
3Match
Ganhamos o jogo nos últimos minutos.
We won the game in the final minutes.
Past/result.

Mistakes English speakers make with ganhar

Incorrect: Eu ganhar o prêmio.

Correct: Eu ganho o prêmio. / Ganhei o prêmio.

Conjugate: eu ganho / ganhei.

Incorrect: Nós vencemos (only).

Correct: Nós ganhamos o jogo.

For this headword, use ganhar; vencer alone doesn’t count.

Good to know

Ganhar means win and also earn/receive (ganhar um presente, ganhar bem). In sports, ganhar and vencer both appear—keep ganhar here. Don’t use ganhador alone as the verb.