How to Say "to defeat" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to defeat” is “derrotar” — use this verb when one entity (like a team or army) clearly overcomes and beats another in a competition or conflict.
derrotar
deh-rroh-TAHRderoˈtaɾ
Examples
El equipo local derrotó al visitante por un marcador de 3-0.
The local team defeated the visiting one by a score of 3-0.
Nuestro equipo derrotó al campeón el año pasado.
Our team defeated the champion last year.
El ajedrecista derrotó a su oponente en solo diez movimientos.
The chess player beat his opponent in only ten moves.
The 'Personal A'
When you use this word to talk about defeating a specific person or a group of people, you must use the word 'a' before them. Example: 'Derrotaron a los gigantes'.
Ganar vs. Derrotar
Mistake: “Using 'ganar' when referring to the person you beat.”
Correction: Say 'Derroté a mi hermano' (I defeated my brother) instead of 'Gané a mi hermano'. You 'ganar' (win) a trophy or a game, but you 'derrotar' (defeat) an opponent.
ganar
gah-NARɡaˈnaɾ
Examples
Le gané a mi hermano en el ajedrez.
I beat my brother in chess.
Te gané en la carrera.
I beat you in the race.
Nuestro equipo le ganó al campeón del año pasado.
Our team beat last year's champion.
Es muy difícil ganarle a ella en ajedrez.
It's very difficult to beat her at chess.
Beating Someone
When you use 'ganar' to mean 'beat', you often put a little word like 'le' or 'les' right before it to point to the person you beat. For example, 'Le gané' (I beat him/her).
batir
bah-TEERbaˈtiɾ
Examples
El nadador batió el récord de su país.
The swimmer broke his country's record.
El atleta batió el récord mundial ayer.
The athlete broke the world record yesterday.
Nuestro equipo batió al rival en el último minuto.
Our team defeated the rival in the last minute.
El águila bate sus alas con fuerza.
The eagle flaps its wings with force.
The Personal 'A'
When you use 'batir' to mean 'to defeat a person', you must put the word 'a' before the person you defeated. For example: 'Batió a su oponente'.
Breaking Records
Mistake: “Saying 'romper un récord'.”
Correction: While 'romper' is understandable, the more natural and professional way to say 'break a record' in Spanish is 'batir un récord'.
conquistar
kohn-kees-TAHRkoŋkisˈtaɾ
Examples
Los romanos conquistaron gran parte de Europa.
The Romans conquered a large part of Europe.
Alejandro Magno conquistó muchos territorios.
Alexander the Great conquered many territories.
Es difícil conquistar un país tan grande.
It is difficult to conquer such a large country.
Standard -ar verb
This verb follows the usual rules for verbs ending in -ar. If you know how to use 'hablar', you can use 'conquistar'!
Confusion with 'Ganar'
Mistake: “Using 'conquistar' for winning a simple game.”
Correction: Use 'ganar' for games or prizes. 'Conquistar' is for taking over something through effort or force.
Derrotar vs. Ganar
Related Translations
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