We review the frustrated magnetic interactions in spin‐orbital models which describe superexchange in transition metal oxides with orbital degeneracy, and analyze the reasons for the symmetry breaking in cubic perovskites. The superexchange inegsystems is dominated by orbital interactions responsible for the orbital ordering, and theA‐type antiferromagnetic ordering follows at lower temperatures. Instead, a generic tendency towards dimerization, found already in the degenerate Hubbard model, occurs int2gsystems. In this case the quantum orbital fluctuations may stabilize orbital liquid states along one directions even in some undopedt2gsystems, leading to theC‐type antiferromagnetic order. The orbital liquid in manganites is triggered by doping. The present understanding of the spectroscopic parameters provides reliable information on the magnetic interactions, as shown on the example of magnons in ferromagnetic cubic and bilayer manganites. © 2003 American Institute of Physics