Maltratar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
maltratar means "to mistreat" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see maltratar with the village animals, his employees in the factory, the garden plants and his little brother — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
maltratar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with maltratar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo maltraté a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I mistreated his employees in the factory." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo maltrataba las plantas del jardín. — "In the past, I used to mistreat the garden plants." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros maltrataremos a su hermano pequeño. — "Tomorrow, we will mistreat his little brother." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú maltratarías a los animales del pueblo. — "If you could, you would mistreat the village animals." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he maltratado a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "I have mistreated his employees in the factory." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él maltrata las plantas del jardín. — "Normally, he/she mistreats the garden plants." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él maltrató a su hermano pequeño. — "Yesterday, he/she mistreated his little brother." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros maltratábamos a los animales del pueblo. — "In the past, we used to mistreat the village animals." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo maltrataré a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Tomorrow, I will mistreat his employees in the factory." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él maltrate las plantas del jardín. — "I hope that he/she mistreats the garden plants." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Maltrata a su hermano pequeño! — "Mistreat his little brother!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using maltratar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: the village animals, his employees in the factory, the garden plants and his little brother.
Dialogue 1: talking about the village animals
Sofía: ¿Tú maltratas a los animales del pueblo? — "Do you mistreat the village animals?" Diego: Sí, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "I mistreat the village animals." Sofía: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Diego: Ayer, yo maltraté a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I mistreated his employees in the factory." Sofía: Mañana, nosotros maltrataremos las plantas del jardín. — "Tomorrow, we will mistreat the garden plants." Diego: Si pudiera, yo maltrataría a su hermano pequeño. — "If I could, I would mistreat his little brother." Sofía: Antes, yo maltrataba a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "In the past, I used to mistreat his employees in the factory." Diego: Yo he maltratado a los animales del pueblo. — "I have mistreated the village animals." Sofía: ¡Maltrata las plantas del jardín! — "Mistreat the garden plants!"
In this dialogue maltratar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about the garden plants
Sofía: Él maltrata las plantas del jardín. — "he/she mistreats the garden plants." Diego: ¿De verdad? ¿Él maltrata las plantas del jardín todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she mistreats the garden plants every day?" Sofía: Sí, y ellos maltratan a su hermano pequeño. — "they mistreat his little brother." Diego: Ayer, ellos maltrataron las plantas del jardín. — "Yesterday, they mistreated the garden plants." Sofía: Espero que él maltrate a su hermano pequeño. — "I hope that he/she mistreats his little brother." Diego: Mañana, él maltratará las plantas del jardín. — "Tomorrow, he/she will mistreat the garden plants." Sofía: Antes, nosotros maltratábamos a su hermano pequeño. — "In the past, we used to mistreat his little brother." Diego: Nosotros maltratamos a los animales del pueblo también. — "we mistreat the village animals too."
This dialogue shows maltratar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with maltratar
The errors learners actually make with maltratar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me maltrato a los animales del pueblo.
- Right: Yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo.
- Why: maltratar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo maltratar a los animales del pueblo.
- Right: Yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo.
- Why: The infinitive maltratar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form maltrato.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo maltrato a sus empleados en la fábrica.
- Right: Ayer, yo maltraté a sus empleados en la fábrica.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo maltraté a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I mistreated his employees in the factory."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy maltratado las plantas del jardín.
- Right: Estoy maltratando las plantas del jardín.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund maltratando for the progressive. The participle maltratado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he maltratado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros maltrata a los animales del pueblo.
- Right: Nosotros maltratamos a los animales del pueblo.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes maltratamos, while maltrata belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: maltratar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on maltratar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of maltratar in the present tense?
- (a) maltrato
- (b) maltratas
- (c) maltrata
- (d) maltratamos
Answer: (a) maltrato. The yo form is maltrato.
2. What is the tú form of maltratar in the present tense?
- (a) maltrato
- (b) maltrata
- (c) maltratamos
- (d) maltratas
Answer: (d) maltratas. The tú form is maltratas.
3. What is the él/ella form of maltratar in the present tense?
- (a) maltratas
- (b) maltratamos
- (c) maltrata
- (d) maltrato
Answer: (c) maltrata. The él/ella form is maltrata.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a los animales del pueblo.
- (a) maltratamos
- (b) maltrato
- (c) maltratas
- (d) maltrata
Answer: (b) maltrato. The sentence needs the yo form maltrato.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ a sus empleados en la fábrica.
- (a) maltraté
- (b) maltrataste
- (c) maltrató
- (d) maltratamos
Answer: (a) maltraté. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is maltraté.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ las plantas del jardín.
- (a) maltratabas
- (b) maltratábamos
- (c) maltratabais
- (d) maltrataba
Answer: (d) maltrataba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is maltrataba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ a su hermano pequeño.
- (a) maltratará
- (b) maltrataremos
- (c) maltrataré
- (d) maltratarás
Answer: (c) maltrataré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is maltrataré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a los animales del pueblo.
- (a) ha maltratado
- (b) hemos maltratado
- (c) he maltratado
- (d) has maltratado
Answer: (c) he maltratado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he maltratado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ las plantas del jardín.
- (a) maltrate
- (b) maltrates
- (c) maltratemos
- (d) maltratéis
Answer: (a) maltrate. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is maltrate.
10. What does maltratar mean in English?
- (a) to mistreat
- (b) to burn, to scorch
- (c) to shorten, to abbreviate
- (d) to open up
Answer: (a) to mistreat. maltratar means "to mistreat" in English.
Frequently asked questions about maltratar
What does maltratar mean?
maltratar means "to mistreat" in English. Use it when you talk about the village animals, his employees in the factory, the garden plants and his little brother — for example: Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals."
Is there a reflexive form of maltratar?
No. maltratar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals."
What is the most common mistake with maltratar?
The tense, not the form. Learners use the present tense for yesterday, or the preterite for a habit. Remember: Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals." is a habit, while Ayer, yo maltraté a los animales del pueblo is one finished action.
How can I practise maltratar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.