Introduction

Learning to conjugate retratar — “to portray” — opens up a whole set of sentences you will use in real Spanish. Whether you are talking about what you do every day, what happened yesterday, or what you plan to do tomorrow, retratar is one of the verbs that carries those sentences, especially when the topic is the family. On this page you will find the full conjugation of retratar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. retratar is a regular -ar verb; the gerund is retratando and the past participle is retratado, and both appear in the tables and examples below. For example: “Yo retrato a la familia todos los días.” — “I portray the family.” Read the tables first, then the notes, and finish with the quiz to check what you have learned.

Quick facts
Infinitive retratar
English to portray
Verb type Regular -ar verb
Gerund retratando
Past participle retratado
Auxiliary verb haber

Full conjugation tables

Gerund: retratando · Past participle: retratado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo retrato
tú retratas
él/ella/Ud. retrata
nosotros/as retratamos
vosotros/as retratáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retratan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For retratar, the yo form is retrato, as in “Yo retrato a la familia.” — “I portray the family.”

Preterite

Person Form
yo retraté
tú retrataste
él/ella/Ud. retrató
nosotros/as retratamos
vosotros/as retratasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retrataron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For retratar, the yo form is retraté, as in “Yo retraté a la familia.” — “I portrayed the family.”

Imperfect

Person Form
yo retrataba
tú retratabas
él/ella/Ud. retrataba
nosotros/as retratábamos
vosotros/as retratabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retrataban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For retratar, the yo form is retrataba, as in “Yo retrataba a la familia.” — “I used to portray the family.”

Future

Person Form
yo retrataré
tú retratarás
él/ella/Ud. retratará
nosotros/as retrataremos
vosotros/as retrataréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retratarán

The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For retratar, the yo form is retrataré, as in “Yo retrataré a la familia.” — “I will portray the family.”

Conditional

Person Form
yo retrataría
tú retratarías
él/ella/Ud. retrataría
nosotros/as retrataríamos
vosotros/as retrataríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retratarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For retratar, the yo form is retrataría, as in “Yo retrataría a la familia.” — “I would portray the family.”

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he retratado
tú has retratado
él/ella/Ud. ha retratado
nosotros/as hemos retratado
vosotros/as habéis retratado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han retratado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For retratar, the yo form is he retratado, as in “Yo he retratado a la familia.” — “I have portrayed the family.”

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había retratado
tú habías retratado
él/ella/Ud. había retratado
nosotros/as habíamos retratado
vosotros/as habíais retratado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían retratado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For retratar, the yo form is había retratado, as in “Yo había retratado a la familia.” — “I had portrayed the family.”

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré retratado
tú habrás retratado
él/ella/Ud. habrá retratado
nosotros/as habremos retratado
vosotros/as habréis retratado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán retratado

The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For retratar, the yo form is habré retratado, as in “Yo habré retratado a la familia.” — “I will have portrayed the family.”

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría retratado
tú habrías retratado
él/ella/Ud. habría retratado
nosotros/as habríamos retratado
vosotros/as habríais retratado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían retratado

The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For retratar, the yo form is habría retratado, as in “Yo habría retratado a la familia.” — “I would have portrayed the family.”

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo retrate
tú retrates
él/ella/Ud. retrate
nosotros/as retratemos
vosotros/as retratéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. retraten

The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For retratar, the yo form is retrate, as in “Espero que yo retrate a la familia.” — “I hope that I portray the family.”

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo retratara
tú retrataras
él/ella/Ud. retratara
nosotros/as retratáramos
vosotros/as retratarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. retrataran

The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For retratar, the yo form is retratara, as in “Si yo retratara a la familia, ...” — “If I portrayed the family, ...”

The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: retratara becomes retratase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú retrata
Ud. retrate
nosotros/as retratemos
vosotros/as retratad
Uds. retraten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú retrates
Ud. retrate
nosotros/as retratemos
vosotros/as retratéis
Uds. retraten

The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is retrata, as in “¡Retrata a la familia” — “Portray the family” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no retrates. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with retratar.

Example sentences

Here are ten sentences with retratar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.

  1. “Yo retrato a la familia cada día.” — “I portray the family.”
  2. “Él retrata a la familia todos los días.” — “He portrays the family.”
  3. “Yo retraté a la familia ayer.” — “I portrayed the family.”
  4. “Él retrató a la familia ayer.” — “He portrayed the family.”
  5. “Yo retrataba a la familia cuando era joven.” — “I used to portray the family.”
  6. “Nosotros retrataremos a la familia mañana.” — “We will portray the family.”
  7. “Si pudiera, yo retrataría a la familia.” — “If I could, i would portray the family.”
  8. “Yo he retratado a la familia hoy.” — “I have portrayed the family.”
  9. “Espero que yo retrate a la familia.” — “I hope that I portray the family.”
  10. “estoy retratando a la familia ahora mismo.” — “I am portraying the family.”

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

Is retratar regular or irregular?

retratar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.

What is the past participle of retratar?

The past participle of retratar is retratado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he retratado, había retratado, habré retratado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund retratando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.

What is the gerund of retratar?

The gerund of retratar is retratando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy retratando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle retratado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.

What is the yo form of retratar in the present?

The yo form is retrato — “Yo retrato a la familia.” means “I portray the family.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú retratas, él retrata, nosotros retratamos, ellos retratan.

What is the difference between retratar and retirar?

retratar means “to portray”, while retirar means “to withdraw, to remove”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to portray”, use retratar; if it is about the meaning of retirar, use retirar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.

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