Inklingo

How to Say "you beat" in Spanish

English → Spanish

ganaste

gah-NAHS-teh/ɡaˈnaste/

verbA1general
Use this when you mean 'you won' or 'you defeated' someone or something, like in a competition or a game.
A person's hand holding a shiny gold trophy high in the air, symbolizing victory.

Examples

¡Felicidades! Vi el partido, realmente **ganaste** por poco.

Congratulations! I saw the game, you really won by a little bit.

¿Cómo **ganaste** la lotería? ¡Dime tu secreto!

How did you win the lottery? Tell me your secret!

Corriste muy rápido. **Ganaste** la carrera fácilmente.

You ran very fast. You won the race easily.

The Simple Past (Preterite) for 'Tú'

Ganaste is the 'tú' form of the simple past tense (preterite). It describes a single action that started and finished completely at a specific time in the past: 'Yesterday, you won.'

Confusing Past Tenses

Mistake: “Using 'ganabas' (imperfect) instead of 'ganaste' (preterite) for a single, completed victory.”

Correction: Use **ganaste** for a specific win ('You won the race'). Use 'ganabas' only if you are describing a habit or condition in the past ('You used to win often').

bates

/BAH-tehs//ˈbates/

verbA2general
Use this when you mean 'you are beating' or 'you whisk' ingredients, like eggs or cream, as part of cooking or baking.
A hand holding a whisk and mixing yellow batter in a blue bowl.

Examples

Si **bates** los huevos con fuerza, el pastel saldrá mejor.

If you beat the eggs vigorously, the cake will turn out better.

Si bates los huevos con fuerza, el pastel saldrá mejor.

If you beat the eggs vigorously, the cake will turn out better.

Tú bates el récord mundial de natación hoy.

You are breaking the world swimming record today.

Present Tense

This is the 'tú' (informal you) form for the present tense. It tells someone what they are doing right now.

Whisk vs. Hit

Mistake: “Using 'batir' to mean hitting someone.”

Correction: While 'batir' comes from a word meaning 'to strike,' in modern Spanish, it's mostly for cooking or records. Use 'golpear' to say 'to hit'.

Winning vs. Whisking

The most common mistake is confusing 'ganaste' (you won) with 'bates' (you whisk/beat ingredients). Remember that 'ganaste' is about competition, while 'bates' is about mixing food.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.