they win the game or won the game

[sebayanpendam]

Hi,

I was watching a badminton mixed double game, and after the game was over, i said, "They won the game." He corrected me, "They win the game."
Is it true coming from a non-native speaker of English?

Thanks

 

[curates-egg]

=Not a Teacher+

No. The past form of "win" is "won".

 

[SoothingDave]

After the fact, you say "they won the game."

At the moment of triumph, you could say "they win the game!"

YouTube - The Shot Heard 'Round The World

See this famous clip from baseball, the announcer screams in jubilation "The Giants win the pennant!"

 

[TheParser]

Hi,

I was watching a badminton mixed double game, and after the game was over, i said, "They won the game." He corrected me, "They win the game."
Is it true coming from a non-native speaker of English?

Thanks

***** A NON-TEACHER's COMMENT *****


(1) As Curates-Egg and Soothing Dave told you, both answers

are good English.

(2) As Soothing David explained, at the moment of your victory,

you can use the present tense because your victory is so

new. Let's say that you and a friend are playing chess. (I know

nothing about chess.) Let's say that you make a move that gives the

game to you. Well, you might smile, look at your friend, and yell:

I win!!!

Respectfully yours,


James


P.S. Don't worry about little things like this. Little by little you will

start to understand. For example, maybe a friend one day will say

to you: I hear that you are getting married next week. Maybe your

friend heard the news last week, but he uses "hear" because it makes

the news seem more immediate. (If he had said, "I heard...." that would

have been OK, too.)


Respectfully yours,


James