Introduction

retratar means “to portray”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to portray” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows retratar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo retrato a la familia por la mañana.” — “I portray the family.”

retratar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how retratar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo retrato a la familia cada día.” — “I portray the family.”
  2. “Tú retratas a la familia cada día.” — “you portray the family.”
  3. “Él retrata a la familia siempre.” — “He portrays the family.”
  4. “Nosotros retratamos a la familia todos los días.” — “We portray the family.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo retraté a la familia ayer.” — “I portrayed the family.” (preterite) 6. “Él retrató a la familia ayer.” — “He portrayed the family.” (preterite) 7. “Yo retrataba a la familia cuando era joven.” — “I used to portray the family.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros retrataremos a la familia mañana.” — “We will portray the family.” (future) 9. “Tú has retratado a la familia hoy.” — “you have portrayed the family.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo retrate a la familia.” — “I hope that I portray the family.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros retratáis a la familia cada semana.” — “You portray the family.” 12. “Ellos retratan a la familia normalmente.” — “They portray the family.”

retratar in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how retratar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú retratas a la familia?” — Do you portray the family?

Luis: “Sí, yo retrato a la familia cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I portray the family every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También retratas a la familia?” — And yesterday? Did you portray the family too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo retraté a la familia. Mañana nosotros retrataremos a la familia otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I portrayed the family. Tomorrow we will portray the family again.

A short paragraph

Él retrata a la familia cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how retratar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo retrato a la familia — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make retratar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is retraté, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — retrate — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of retratar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For retratar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: retratamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he retratado a la familia. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy retratado is not the present perfect of retratar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing retratar with retirar

retratar and retirar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of retratar — portray — the sentence needs retratar; if it needs the meaning of retirar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo retrate a la familia. Using the indicative — Espero que yo retrato — is one of the most frequent learner errors with retratar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of retratar in the present?

  • A. retratas
  • B. retrata
  • C. retratamos
  • D. retrato

2. What is the tu form of retratar in the preterite?

  • A. retratamos
  • B. retrataste
  • C. retraté
  • D. retrató

3. What is the el form of retratar in the imperfect?

  • A. retratabas
  • B. retratábamos
  • C. retratabais
  • D. retrataba

4. What is the nosotros form of retratar in the future?

  • A. retratará
  • B. retrataremos
  • C. retrataré
  • D. retratarás

5. What is the vosotros form of retratar in the present perfect?

  • A. he retratado
  • B. has retratado
  • C. ha retratado
  • D. habéis retratado

6. What is the ellos form of retratar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. retrate
  • B. retraten
  • C. retrate
  • D. retrates

7. What is the yo form of retratar in the preterite?

  • A. retrataste
  • B. retrató
  • C. retratamos
  • D. retraté

8. What is the tu form of retratar in the imperfect?

  • A. retratábamos
  • B. retratabas
  • C. retrataba
  • D. retrataba

9. What is the el form of retratar in the future?

  • A. retrataré
  • B. retratarás
  • C. retrataremos
  • D. retratará

10. What is the nosotros form of retratar in the conditional?

  • A. retrataría
  • B. retrataríamos
  • C. retrataría
  • D. retratarías

Answer key

  1. retrato — The present table gives yo = retrato.
  2. retrataste — The preterite table gives tu = retrataste.
  3. retrataba — The imperfect table gives el = retrataba.
  4. retrataremos — The future table gives nosotros = retrataremos.
  5. habéis retratado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis retratado.
  6. retraten — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = retraten.
  7. retraté — The preterite table gives yo = retraté.
  8. retratabas — The imperfect table gives tu = retratabas.
  9. retratará — The future table gives el = retratará.
  10. retrataríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = retrataríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use retratar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo retrato a la familia.” — “I portray the family.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of retratar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form retrato first, then the preterite yo form retraté and the participle retratado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund retratando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is retratar reflexive?

No — retratar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo retrato a la familia. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of retratar?

On the main conjugation page for retratar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links