Introduction

Torear means “to fight bulls”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Torear means to fight bulls, and it is the verb of the bullring: torear en la plaza, torear un toro bravo. It is a fully regular -ar verb, and it also appears in the idiom torear a alguien, to fob someone off, though the bullfighting sense is the main one. This page shows torear 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 present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Toreo en la plaza de Madrid.” — I fight bulls in the Madrid bullring.

Torear in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how torear 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 torear in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Toreo en la plaza de Madrid.” — I fight bulls in the Madrid bullring.

  2. “¿Toreas un toro bravo en la feria?” — Do you fight bulls a fierce bull at the fair?

  3. “Torea con arte y valor.” — He/she fights bulls with skill and courage.

  4. “Nosotros toreamos cada domingo en verano.” — We fight bulls every Sunday in summer.

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show torear in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.

  1. “Ayer, yo toreé en la plaza de Madrid.” — Yesterday, I fought bulls in the Madrid bullring. (preterite)

  2. “Antes, él toreaba un toro bravo en la feria.” — Before, he used to fight bulls a fierce bull at the fair. (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 torear stays the same.

  1. “Mañana, nosotros torearemos con arte y valor.” — Tomorrow, we will fight bulls with skill and courage. (future)

  2. “¿Tú has toreado cada domingo en verano?” — Have you fought bulls every Sunday in summer? (present perfect)

More everyday uses

Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.

  1. “Vosotros toreáis en la plaza de Madrid.” — You fight bulls in the Madrid bullring.

  2. “Ellos torean un toro bravo en la feria.” — They fight bulls a fierce bull at the fair.

  3. “Yo toreo con arte y valor.” — I fight bulls with skill and courage.

  4. “Mi padre torea cada domingo en verano.” — My father fights bulls every Sunday in summer.

Torear 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 torear appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

A short dialogue

  • Marta: “¿Tú toreas un toro bravo en la feria?” — Do you fight bulls a fierce bull at the fair?

  • Pedro: “Sí, yo toreo en la plaza de Madrid.” — Yes, I fight bulls in the Madrid bullring.

  • Marta: “Nosotros toreamos cada domingo en verano.” — We fight bulls every Sunday in summer.

  • Pedro: “Y ellos torean un toro bravo en la feria.” — And they fight bulls a fierce bull at the fair.

  • Marta: “Vosotros toreáis con arte y valor.” — You fight bulls with skill and courage.

  • Pedro: “Sí, y él torea en la plaza de Madrid.” — Yes, and he fights bulls in the Madrid bullring.

A short paragraph

Torea en la plaza de Madrid, y nosotros toreamos cada domingo en verano. Yo toreo un toro bravo en la feria, y ellos torean con arte y valor. Torear is part of everyday life, because fight bulls is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.

Common mistakes with torear

These are the errors learners actually make with torear. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo torea en la plaza de Madrid.” Right: “Yo toreo en la plaza de Madrid.” Why: The person matters: torea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is toreo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

  • Wrong: “Ayer yo toreo un toro bravo en la feria.” Right: “Ayer yo toreé un toro bravo en la feria.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: toreo is happening now, while toreé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

  • Wrong: “Treating torear and lidiar as identical in every context.” Right: “Torear means to fight bulls, while lidiar means to fight a bull, to deal with.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: torear fits sentences such as Toreo en la plaza de Madrid, while lidiar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

  • Wrong: “Yo soy toreado un toro bravo en la feria.” Right: “Yo he toreado un toro bravo en la feria.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he toreado, has toreado, ha toreado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

  • Wrong: “De niño, yo toreé con arte y valor todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo toreaba con arte y valor todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (toreaba), not the preterite. The preterite (toreé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: torear in use

Ten questions on torear in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ en la plaza de Madrid.” (You fight bulls in the Madrid bullring.)

  • (a) toreáis
  • (b) toreo
  • (c) toreas

Answer: toreáis — The vosotros/as form of torear in the present tense is toreáis.

2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ un toro bravo en la feria.” (They fight bulls a fierce bull at the fair.)

  • (a) toreas
  • (b) torean
  • (c) toreo

Answer: torean — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of torear in the present tense is torean.

3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ en la plaza de Madrid.” (Yesterday I fought bulls in the Madrid bullring.)

  • (a) toreaste
  • (b) toreó
  • (c) toreé

Answer: toreé — In the preterite, the yo form of torear is toreé.

4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ un toro bravo en la feria.” (Before, he used to fight bulls a fierce bull at the fair.)

  • (a) toreaba
  • (b) toreo
  • (c) toreabas

Answer: toreaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of torear is toreaba.

5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ con arte y valor.” (Tomorrow we will fight bulls with skill and courage.)

  • (a) torearás
  • (b) torearemos
  • (c) torearé

Answer: torearemos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of torear is torearemos.

6. What does torear mean in English?

  • (a) to fight bulls
  • (b) to tolerate
  • (c) to fight a bull, to deal with

Answer: to fight bulls — Torear means “to fight bulls”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • (a) Yo torea en la plaza de Madrid.
  • (b) Ellos torea un toro bravo en la feria.
  • (c) Yo toreo en la plaza de Madrid.

Answer: Yo toreo en la plaza de Madrid. — “Yo toreo en la plaza de Madrid.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.

8. How do you say “I fight bulls in the Madrid bullring.” in Spanish?

  • (a) Mi padre torea cada domingo en verano.
  • (b) Toreo en la plaza de Madrid.
  • (c) Torean en la plaza de Madrid.

Answer: Toreo en la plaza de Madrid. — “Toreo en la plaza de Madrid.” is the correct translation.

9. What is the nosotros form of torear in the present tense?

  • (a) toreo
  • (b) toreas
  • (c) toreamos

Answer: toreamos — The nosotros form is toreamos.

10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?

  • (a) Mañana, nosotros torearemos con arte y valor.
  • (b) Toreo en la plaza de Madrid.
  • (c) Ayer, yo toreé en la plaza de Madrid.

Answer: Toreo en la plaza de Madrid. — “Toreo en la plaza de Madrid.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I fight bulls in the Madrid bullring' in Spanish?

Say 'Toreo en la plaza de Madrid'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Toreo en la plaza de Madrid todos los días'.

How do you say 'He fights bulls a fierce bull at the fair' in Spanish?

Say 'Él torea un toro bravo en la feria'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes torea.

What is the difference between torear and lidiar?

Torear means to fight bulls, while lidiar means to fight a bull, to deal with. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use torear when you mean to fight bulls, as in 'Toreo en la plaza de Madrid', and use lidiar for to fight a bull, to deal with.

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