Common Error: "Earn," "Win," and "Beat"
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| Monopoly (or “Monopolio,” as it’s called here in Costa Rica) is one of my favorite board games. I don’t always win, but I often am able to beat my opponents by buying as many properties as possible. (Photo by Ryan Sitzman) |
Today’s error is found often when talking about sports or other types of contests. It’s also confusing for Spanish speakers because one Spanish word (ganar) can mean all three of the English words. Let’s have a closer look:
| Common Error: Earn, Win, and Beat | ||
| DON’T say this: | ||
| WHY? | –Earn refers to the money a person receives for doing work or a job. For example, you can say: “Pablo earns 5,000 Colones per hour working for the phone company.” “I’d like a job where I can earn enough money to support my family.“ In most cases, you can also use the word make instead of earn. (“Pablo makes 5,000 Colones…“). –Win (past tense: won) means that one person or team defeats or conquers another person or team. The opposite is lose (past tense: lost). When you use these words, you usually mention the competition or contest, but not the opponent: “Spain won the World Cup in 2010.” The team with the highest score is the winner, and the team with the lowest score is the loser. Also, you can win a contest or competition unexpectedly (like the lottery or a raffle, for example): –Beat: Finally, beat is similar to win, but it’s used a little differently in a sentence. You have to indicate both the winner and the loser (opponent) when you use the word beat: |
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| INSTEAD, SAY THIS: | -“She earns a lot of money in her job.” -“Saprissa beat La Liga in last night’s soccer game.” OR -“Saprissa won last night’s soccer game.” |
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Hopefully you understand. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment or contact me. Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
Sitzman
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