ganar Imperfect Conjugation
ganar — to win
The imperfect of ganar uses the regular -aba endings: ganaba, ganabas, ganaba, ganábamos, ganabais, ganaban.
ganar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe a time in the past when you used to win frequently or to set the scene of a competition that was ongoing.
Notes on ganar in the Imperfect
Ganar is regular in the imperfect. Remember the accent on the 'nosotros' form: ganábamos.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, yo siempre ganaba en el ajedrez.
When I was a kid, I always used to win at chess.
yo
Ellos ganaban poco dinero en esa fábrica.
They used to earn little money in that factory.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Nosotros ganábamos todos los domingos.
We used to win every Sunday.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: ganabamos
Correct: ganábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require a written accent on the 'nosotros' form.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: gano
Ganar is regular in the present tense: gano, ganas, gana, ganamos, ganáis, ganan.
Preterite
yo: gané
The preterite of ganar is regular: gané, ganaste, ganó, ganamos, ganasteis, ganaron.
Future
yo: ganaré
To form the future of ganar, add endings to the infinitive: ganaré, ganarás, ganará, ganaremos, ganaréis, ganarán.
Conditional
yo: ganaría
The conditional of ganar is formed by adding -ía to the infinitive: ganaría, ganarías, ganaría, ganaríamos, ganaríais, ganarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: gane
The present subjunctive of ganar uses -e endings: gane, ganes, gane, ganemos, ganéis, ganen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ganara
The imperfect subjunctive of ganar uses the stem from 'ganaron': ganara, ganaras, ganara, ganáramos, ganarais, ganaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: gana
The imperative of ganar provides commands: gana (tú), ganad (vosotros), gane (usted), ganen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no ganes
The negative imperative of ganar uses the present subjunctive forms: no ganes, no gane, no ganemos, no ganéis, no ganen.