ganaste

Ganaste is the second-person singular form in the pretérito simple (simple past) of the Spanish verb ganar. It expresses a completed action in the past and translates as “you won” or “you earned” in English, depending on the context. Ganar covers two main meanings in everyday Spanish: to win a game, contest, or prize, and to earn money, profit, or a benefit. The form ganaste is used when addressing someone informally (tú). Other subject forms include gano (I win), ganas (you win), ganó (he/she/you formal won), ganamos, ganasteis, and ganaron.

Etymology and cognates: Ganar belongs to the Romance language family and has cognates in several other languages, such as French gagner, Italian guadagnare, Portuguese ganhar, and Romanian a câștiga. The related nouns ganancia (profit) and ganador (winner) reflect the same root idea of obtaining or acquiring something as a result of effort or luck.

Usage notes: Ganaste is commonly used to describe past outcomes in competitive or evaluative contexts, as well as past approaches to earning money or advantage. It appears in questions like “¿Ganaste la carrera?” and statements such as “Ganaste un premio” or “Ganaste dinero trabajando horas extra.” The meaning is determined by context and accompanying words.

See also: The verb ganar and its related terms, including ganancia, ganador, and ganador, are part of the same lexical family, encompassing the notions of winning, earning, and obtaining.