🥊Fighting

Fight, hit, kick, punch, win — the verbs of the cage and the street.

5 concepts

Columns follow the languages switched on at the top. Gender after the word (m/f/n); IPA beneath; notes, alternatives and origins underneath — nothing is hidden.

Concept	English	Français	Español
to fight verb	to fight Irregular: fought /fɔːt/. A fighter fights in a bout; people also 'fight' = argue.	combattre also: se battre (brawl), se disputer (argue) Combattre is the sport and the cause; se battre is a fight in the street. A fighter says 'je combats samedi'.	pelear also: luchar (wrestle, struggle), pelearse (quarrel) Pelear covers the bout; luchar is also wrestling and fighting FOR something. Pelearse con alguien = fall out with them.
to hit verb	to hit also: to strike Irregular and unchanging: hit, hit, hit.	frapper also: taper (familiar), cogner Also 'to knock' at a door: on frappe.	golpear also: pegar (a person: pegar a alguien) Pegar a alguien = hit someone, but pegar algo = stick or glue it.
to kick verb	to kick Also kick off (start), kick out (expel), and kick a habit.	botter also: donner un coup de pied (à) French has no neutral one-word verb: botter (le ballon) is familiar; in the gym it's donner un coup de pied, with à for the target.	patear also: dar una patada (a) Patear takes the target directly: patear el balón. Dar una patada a is just as common.
to punch verb	to punch Also a punch (the drink) and punch a ticket or a hole.	cogner also: donner un coup de poing (à), boxer (familiar) Cogner is to hit hard with the fist, familiar; the neutral phrase is donner un coup de poing à quelqu'un.	dar un puñetazo also: dar puñetazos, golpear con el puño No one-word verb: dar un puñetazo, with a for the target (dar un puñetazo a la bolsa).
to win verb	to win Win a fight, a prize; BEAT an opponent — 'I won him' is a common slip. Earn = get paid.	gagner Also 'to earn' (gagner sa vie) — one verb where English has win and earn. Battre = beat an opponent.	ganar Also 'to earn' and 'to beat': le gané = I beat him.