Trarre Conjugation in Italian
trarre means “to draw, to pull” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 756 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. It is one of the -rre verbs, and it is totally irregular: the present, the remoto and the participle use different stems, so the io form is traggo, the participle is tratto and the future is trarrò. It means to draw a conclusion or to pull something towards you. This page gives you the complete conjugation of trarre — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Io traggo una conclusione ogni giorno.” — “I draw a conclusion.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: trarre
- English: to draw, to pull
- Verb type: Irregular -ere verb
- Irregular in: present, passato-remoto, imperfect, future, conditional, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative
- Gerund: traendo
- Present participle: traente
- Past participle: tratto
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -ere verbs; pattern ere in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for trarre, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read trarre in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about trarre
- It is irregular in 15 tense(s): present, passato-remoto, imperfect, future, conditional, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. Learn those forms as a set instead of guessing them from the infinitive, because the stem changes in ways no rule predicts. It is one of the -rre verbs: the present, the remoto and the participle use different stems, so the io form is traggo and the participle is tratto.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle tratto. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The participles are traente and tratto: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
A note on trarre
A note on the pattern: trarre is one of the -rre verbs, so its present, remoto and participle use different stems — io traggo, the participle tratto, the future trarrò — while the imperfect follows the regular pattern from the stem. Learn the three stems as a set, and do not try to build the remoto or the participle from the infinitive.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for trarre. Learn the present tense first, then the passato prossimo and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | traggo |
| tu | trai |
| lui/lei | trae |
| noi | traiamo |
| voi | traete |
| loro | traggono |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io traggo una conclusione ogni giorno.” — “I draw a conclusion”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | trassi |
| tu | traesti |
| lui/lei | trasse |
| noi | traemmo |
| voi | traeste |
| loro | trassero |
The passato remoto is used for completed actions in the distant past, mostly in written and literary Italian and in the south of Italy. For example: “Io trassi una conclusione ieri.” — “I drew a conclusion”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | traevo |
| tu | traevi |
| lui/lei | traeva |
| noi | traevamo |
| voi | traevate |
| loro | traevano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io traevo una conclusione una volta.” — “I used to draw a conclusion”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | trarrò |
| tu | trarrai |
| lui/lei | trarrà |
| noi | trarremo |
| voi | trarrete |
| loro | trarranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io trarrò una conclusione domani.” — “I will draw a conclusion”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | trarrei |
| tu | trarresti |
| lui/lei | trarrebbe |
| noi | trarremmo |
| voi | trarreste |
| loro | trarrebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io trarrei una conclusione un giorno.” — “I would draw a conclusion”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho tratto |
| tu | hai tratto |
| lui/lei | ha tratto |
| noi | abbiamo tratto |
| voi | avete tratto |
| loro | hanno tratto |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha tratto una conclusione questa settimana.” — “He has drawn a conclusion”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo tratto |
| tu | avevi tratto |
| lui/lei | aveva tratto |
| noi | avevamo tratto |
| voi | avevate tratto |
| loro | avevano tratto |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo tratto una conclusione prima della festa.” — “I had drawn a conclusion”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò tratto |
| tu | avrai tratto |
| lui/lei | avrà tratto |
| noi | avremo tratto |
| voi | avrete tratto |
| loro | avranno tratto |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò tratto una conclusione per domani.” — “I will have drawn a conclusion”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei tratto |
| tu | avresti tratto |
| lui/lei | avrebbe tratto |
| noi | avremmo tratto |
| voi | avreste tratto |
| loro | avrebbero tratto |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei tratto una conclusione ieri.” — “I would have drawn a conclusion”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | tragga |
| tu | tragga |
| lui/lei | tragga |
| noi | traiamo |
| voi | traiate |
| loro | traggano |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io tragga una conclusione.” — “It is important that I draw a conclusion”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | traessi |
| tu | traessi |
| lui/lei | traesse |
| noi | traessimo |
| voi | traeste |
| loro | traessero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io traessi una conclusione.” — “It was important that I draw a conclusion”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | trai |
| lui/lei | tragga |
| noi | traiamo |
| voi | traete |
| loro | traggano |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Trai una conclusione!” — “Draw a conclusion!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | trarre |
| lui/lei | tragga |
| noi | traiamo |
| voi | traiate |
| loro | traggano |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non trarre una conclusione.” — “Do not draw a conclusion.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | traendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Traendo una conclusione, imparo molto.” — “While drawing a conclusion, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | traente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle traente is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Past participle | tratto |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho tratto una conclusione questa settimana.” — “I have drawn a conclusion.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with trarre, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io traggo una conclusione ogni giorno.” — “I draw a conclusion”
- “Tu traesti una conclusione ieri.” — “You drew a conclusion”
- “Lui traeva una conclusione una volta.” — “He used to draw a conclusion”
- “Io trarrò una conclusione domani.” — “I will draw a conclusion”
- “Tu trarresti una conclusione un giorno.” — “You would draw a conclusion”
- “Lui ha tratto una conclusione questa settimana.” — “He has drawn a conclusion”
- “Io avevo tratto una conclusione prima della festa.” — “I had drawn a conclusion”
- “Tu avrai tratto una conclusione per domani.” — “You will have drawn a conclusion”
- “È importante che io tragga una conclusione.” — “It is important that I draw a conclusion”
- “Trai una conclusione!” — “Draw a conclusion!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io trarre una conclusione.”
✓ Right: “Io traggo una conclusione ogni giorno.”
The infinitive trarre never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form traggo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io trai una conclusione.”
✓ Right: “Io traggo una conclusione ogni giorno.”
trai is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with traggo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io traggo una conclusione ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho tratto una conclusione questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho tratto for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono tratto una conclusione.”
✓ Right: “Io ho tratto una conclusione questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of trarre is formed with avere plus the past participle tratto: the io form is ho tratto. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “È importante che io traggo una conclusione.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io tragga una conclusione.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use tragga here, not the indicative traggo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho traendo una conclusione.”
✓ Right: “Io ho tratto una conclusione questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle tratto, not the gerund traendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on trarre. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of trarre in the Present indicative?
- A) trai
- B) traggo
- C) trae
- D) traiamo
What is the lui/lei form of trarre in the Passato remoto?
- A) trassi
- B) traesti
- C) trasse
- D) traemmo
What is the noi form of trarre in the Imperfect?
- A) traevo
- B) traevi
- C) traeva
- D) traevamo
What is the tu form of trarre in the Future?
- A) trarrai
- B) trarrò
- C) trarrà
- D) trarremo
What is the io form of trarre in the Conditional?
- A) trarresti
- B) trarrei
- C) trarrebbe
- D) trarremmo
What is the lui/lei form of trarre in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho tratto
- B) hai tratto
- C) ha tratto
- D) abbiamo tratto
What is the lui/lei form of trarre in the Present subjunctive?
- A) traiamo
- B) traiate
- C) traggano
- D) tragga
What is the io form of trarre in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) traessi
- B) traesse
- C) traessimo
- D) traeste
What is the gerund of trarre?
- A) tratto
- B) traendo
- C) trarre
- D) traggo
What does trarre mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to draw, to pull
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) traggo — the correct form is traggo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) trasse — the correct form is trasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) traevamo — the correct form is traevamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) trarrai — the correct form is trarrai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) trarrei — the correct form is trarrei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha tratto — the correct form is ha tratto. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) tragga — the correct form is tragga. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) traessi — the correct form is traessi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) traendo — the correct form is traendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to draw, to pull — the correct form is to draw, to pull. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does trarre mean in English?
trarre means “to draw, to pull”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is trarre regular or irregular?
trarre is irregular: it is irregular in present, passato-remoto, imperfect, future, conditional, present-perfect, pluperfect, future-perfect, conditional-perfect, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, gerund, past-participle, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. The gerund is traendo and the past participle is tratto.
What are the gerund and past participle of trarre?
The gerund is traendo — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is tratto — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho tratto.
Which auxiliary does trarre take in the passato prossimo?
trarre takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho tratto. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle tratto.
How do I say “I draw” in Italian?
Say “Io traggo una conclusione ogni giorno.” — “I draw a conclusion” The io form of the present is traggo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of trarre — every tense of trarre in one place.
- Trarre in the passato prossimo tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Trarre examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian passato prossimo tense guide — the full guide to the passato prossimo tense in Italian.
- Italian irregular verbs — every common irregular Italian verb, grouped by pattern.
- Rispondere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Discutere conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Italian verbs — the full hub of Italian conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise trarre with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise trarre with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise trarre with the interactive tool.