wygrywam

Wygrywam is the first-person singular form of the Polish verb wygrywać, meaning to win or to be winning. In present tense it can express a current victory, a habitual ability to win, or a general statement about ongoing success in competition. The imperfective nature of wygrywać makes it suitable for describing repeated wins or the process of winning, whereas the perfective counterpart wygrać is used for a single, completed victory.

Etymology and related forms: wygrywać is formed with the prefix wy- added to a base related to playing or competing, linking the idea of playing a game with achieving victory. The verb is the imperfective aspect; its perfective counterpart is wygrać. To express a future win, Poles typically use either wygrać (e.g., wygrać mecz) or a present-tense form with contextual future meaning (e.g., wygram jutro). Past tense forms include wygrałem/wygrałam for “I won,” and wygrywałem/wygrywałam for “I was winning.”

Conjugation (present tense, example forms): ja wygrywam; ty wygrywasz; on/ona/ono wygrywa; my wygrywamy; wy wygrywacie; oni/one wygrywają. These forms illustrate the standard Polish present tense paradigm for an imperfective verb.

Usage notes: wygrywam is common in sports and games, as in wygrywam mecz (I am winning the match) or wygrywam z przeciwnikiem (I am defeating the opponent). It can also be used metaphorically to describe overcoming difficulties, for example wygrywam z problemami. The term is neutral and widely understood in everyday Polish.

See also: wygrać (to win, perfective), zwyciężać (to prevail), zwycięstwo (victory).