Maltratar Present Tense in Spanish
maltratar means "to mistreat" in English, and the present tense is the form you use when you talk about what happens regularly, what is generally true, and what is happening now. This page gives you the full present-tense table for maltratar, explains how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it, contrasts it with the closest tense, and finishes with examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the most common questions. A natural example is: Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals." Once you can say that sentence confidently, try changing the person and the complement using the table below.
The present tense of maltratar: full table
Every person of maltratar in the present tense. The gerund is maltratando and the past participle is maltratado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | maltrato |
| tú | maltratas |
| él/ella/Ud. | maltrata |
| nosotros/as | maltratamos |
| vosotros/as | maltratáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | maltratan |
The gerund of maltratar is maltratando and the past participle is maltratado. The gerund is used for the progressive (estoy maltratando), and the participle is used with haber in all perfect tenses (he maltratado).
How the present tense of maltratar is formed
The present tense of maltratar is built from the stem maltrat- plus the regular -ar endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Take the infinitive, remove the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person: yo maltrato, tú maltratas, él maltrata, nosotros maltratamos, vosotros maltratáis and ellos maltratan. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you can apply it to hundreds of others.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | maltrato |
| tú | -as | maltratas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | maltrata |
| nosotros/as | -amos | maltratamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | maltratáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | maltratan |
maltratar is completely regular in the present tense: the stem never changes and every ending is the standard -ar ending. The only thing to watch is the accent on the vosotros form maltratáis.
Two more forms belong with this tense. The gerund is maltratando, used for the progressive with estar: estoy maltratando. The past participle is maltratado, used with haber in all perfect tenses: he maltratado. Both forms appear constantly, so they are worth memorising on their own.
When to use the present tense with maltratar
1. Routines and habits
The present tense describes what happens regularly. For example: Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals." The complement in this sentence is about the village animals, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear maltratar in the present tense.
2. Things happening now
The present tense describes what is happening at this moment. For example: Ahora, tú maltratas a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Now, you mistreat his employees in the factory." The complement in this sentence is about his employees in the factory, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear maltratar in the present tense.
3. General truths
The present tense states facts that are generally true, not tied to one moment. For example: Normalmente, él maltrata las plantas del jardín. — "Normally, he/she mistreats the garden plants." The complement in this sentence is about the garden plants, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear maltratar in the present tense.
4. Plans and the near future
The present tense is also used for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression. Spanish speakers often say the present where English would use a future: the plan is so certain that it feels like a fact. For example: Mañana, nosotros maltratamos a su hermano pequeño. — "Tomorrow, we mistreat his little brother." The complement in this sentence is about his little brother, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear maltratar in the present tense.
5. Frequent actions
With words such as siempre, a menudo and todos los días, the present tense shows how often something happens. For example: Siempre, ellos maltratan a los animales del pueblo. — "Always, they mistreat the village animals." The complement in this sentence is about the village animals, which is exactly the kind of situation where you will hear maltratar in the present tense.
Present vs preterite: maltratar
The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, routines and general truths, while the preterite describes one action that started and finished in the past. The three pairs below show the difference with maltratar.
Pair 1
- Present (habit): Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, yo maltraté a los animales del pueblo. — "Yesterday, I mistreated the village animals."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 2
- Present (habit): Cada día, tú maltratas a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Every day, you mistreat his employees in the factory."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, tú maltrataste a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, you mistreated his employees in the factory."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Pair 3
- Present (habit): Cada día, él maltrata las plantas del jardín. — "Every day, he/she mistreats the garden plants."
- Preterite (one finished action): Ayer, él maltrató las plantas del jardín. — "Yesterday, he/she mistreated the garden plants."
The first sentence describes something that happens regularly. The second describes something that happened once, yesterday, and is now finished. If you can add cada día, use the present; if you can add ayer, use the preterite.
Examples: maltratar in the present tense
These eight sentences show maltratar in the present tense with a different person each time. Read them aloud, then try changing the person and the complement to make your own versions.
- Yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "I mistreat the village animals."
- Tú maltratas a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "you mistreat his employees in the factory."
- Él maltrata las plantas del jardín. — "he/she mistreats the garden plants."
- Nosotros maltratamos a su hermano pequeño. — "we mistreat his little brother."
- Vosotros maltratáis a los animales del pueblo. — "you (plural) mistreat the village animals."
- Ellos maltratan a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "they mistreat his employees in the factory."
- Yo maltrato las plantas del jardín. — "I mistreat the garden plants."
- Tú maltratas a su hermano pequeño. — "you mistreat his little brother."
Common mistakes with maltratar in the present tense
Mistake 1: Dropping the accent on the vosotros form
- Wrong: Vosotros maltratais a los animales del pueblo.
- Right: Vosotros maltratáis a los animales del pueblo.
- Why: The vosotros form maltratáis carries a written accent. Without it the word is misspelled.
Mistake 2: 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. The extra pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence.
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." The present tense is for habits and routines, not for yesterday.
Mistake 4: Using the present tense for a past habit
- Wrong: Antes, yo maltrato las plantas del jardín.
- Right: Antes, yo maltrataba las plantas del jardín.
- Why: Antes means before, in the past, so a past habit needs the imperfect: Antes, yo maltrataba las plantas del jardín. — "In the past, I used to mistreat the garden plants." The present tense describes what happens now, not what used to happen.
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. Check the person first, then choose the form.
Quiz: the present tense of maltratar
Test yourself with eight questions on the present tense of 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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
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. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
4. What is the nosotros form of maltratar in the present tense?
- (a) maltrata
- (b) maltratamos
- (c) maltrato
- (d) maltratas
Answer: (b) maltratamos. The nosotros form is maltratamos. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
5. What is the ellos/ellas form of maltratar in the present tense?
- (a) maltratan
- (b) maltrato
- (c) maltratas
- (d) maltrata
Answer: (a) maltratan. The ellos/ellas form is maltratan. The other options are other persons, so check the person before you answer.
6. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ a los animales del pueblo.
- (a) maltratas
- (b) maltrata
- (c) maltratamos
- (d) maltrato
Answer: (d) maltrato. The sentence needs the yo form maltrato (Every day, I mistreat the village animals.)
7. What is the gerund of maltratar?
- (a) maltratado
- (b) maltrato
- (c) maltratar
- (d) maltratando
Answer: (d) maltratando. The gerund is maltratando, used for the progressive: estoy maltratando.
8. Which sentence describes a habit, something you do regularly?
- (a) Ayer, yo maltraté a sus empleados en la fábrica.
- (b) Mañana, yo maltrataré a sus empleados en la fábrica.
- (c) Cada día, yo maltrato a sus empleados en la fábrica.
- (d) Antes, yo maltrataba a sus empleados en la fábrica.
Answer: (c) Cada día, yo maltrato a sus empleados en la fábrica.. Cada día, yo maltrato a sus empleados en la fábrica. (Every day, I mistreat his employees in the factory.) describes a habit, so it uses the present tense. Ayer, yo maltraté a sus empleados en la fábrica. is a single completed action, and Mañana, yo maltrataré a sus empleados en la fábrica. is in the future.
Frequently asked questions about the present tense of maltratar
Is maltratar regular in the present tense?
Yes. maltratar is a regular -ar verb: maltrato, maltratas, maltrata, maltratamos. There are no spelling changes and no stem changes in the present tense, so the endings do all the work.
How do you say 'mistreat' in a sentence?
Use the present tense with a complement: Cada día, yo maltrato a los animales del pueblo. — "Every day, I mistreat the village animals." Change the person using the table above, and change the complement to talk about your own life.
When do I use the present tense instead of the preterite with maltratar?
Use the present for habits and routines: Cada día, yo maltrato a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Every day, I mistreat his employees in the factory." Use the preterite for one finished action: Ayer, yo maltraté a sus empleados en la fábrica. — "Yesterday, I mistreated his employees in the factory." If the action happens regularly, choose the present; if it happened once and is finished, choose the preterite.
Can I use the present tense for the future with maltratar?
Yes, when the plan is already fixed. Mañana, nosotros maltratamos a su hermano pequeño. — "Tomorrow, we mistreat his little brother." Spanish often uses the present for a plan that feels certain, where English would use the future. Add a time word such as mañana so the listener knows you mean the future.