How to Say "earns" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “earns” is “gana” — use 'gana' when referring to receiving money as income from work or employment, or when winning something in a competition..
gana
GAH-nah/ˈɡana/
Examples
El programador gana mucho dinero con su nuevo empleo.
The programmer earns a lot of money with his new job.
Mi equipo favorito nunca gana los partidos importantes.
My favorite team never wins the important games.
Ella gana un salario alto en esa compañía de tecnología.
She earns a high salary at that technology company.
Regular -AR Verb
'Ganar' is completely regular, meaning its endings follow the standard patterns for all verbs ending in '-ar.' If you know one regular -ar verb, you know how to conjugate 'ganar'!
merece
meh-REH-say/meˈɾese/
Examples
Ella trabaja muy duro, merece un descanso.
She works very hard; she earns/deserves a break.
Él siempre trabaja duro, merece el ascenso.
He always works hard; he deserves the promotion.
¿Qué tipo de premio merece un esfuerzo tan grande?
What kind of prize does such a huge effort deserve?
Usted merece una disculpa sincera por el error.
You (formal) deserve a sincere apology for the mistake.
The C→ZC Change
In the 'yo' form of the present tense (I deserve), the 'c' changes to 'zc' (merezco). This irregularity is common for verbs ending in -ecer, like 'conocer' (to know) and 'parecer' (to seem).
The Meaning of 'Merece'
'Merece' is the form used for 'he/she/it deserves' and the polite 'you deserves' (usted). Remember that Spanish only uses 'merece' for one person, unlike English 'deserves' which works for many nouns.
Forgetting the Z
Mistake: “Using 'yo mereco' instead of 'yo merezco'.”
Correction: The correct 'I' form is 'merezco'. This Z sound helps distinguish it from other forms.
Gana vs. Merece
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