Introduction
Trasladar means “to move, to transfer”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Trasladar means to move or to transfer, and it covers moving house, transferring an employee, and moving a patient to another hospital: trasladar a un enfermo, trasladarse a otra ciudad. It is a fully regular -ar verb. This page shows trasladar 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: “Traslado a un enfermo al hospital.” — I move a patient to hospital.
Trasladar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how trasladar 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 trasladar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Traslado a un enfermo al hospital.” — I move a patient to hospital.
“¿Trasladas la oficina a otro edificio?” — Do you move the office to another building?
“Traslada a un empleado a Madrid.” — He/she moves an employee to Madrid.
“Nosotros trasladamos los muebles a la casa nueva.” — We move the furniture to the new house.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show trasladar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo trasladé a un enfermo al hospital.” — Yesterday, I moved a patient to hospital. (preterite)
“Antes, él trasladaba la oficina a otro edificio.” — Before, he used to move the office to another building. (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 trasladar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros trasladaremos a un empleado a Madrid.” — Tomorrow, we will move an employee to Madrid. (future)
“¿Tú has trasladado los muebles a la casa nueva?” — Have you moved the furniture to the new house? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros trasladáis a un enfermo al hospital.” — You move a patient to hospital.
“Ellos trasladan la oficina a otro edificio.” — They move the office to another building.
“Yo traslado a un empleado a Madrid.” — I move an employee to Madrid.
“Mi padre traslada los muebles a la casa nueva.” — My father moves the furniture to the new house.
Trasladar 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 trasladar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú trasladas la oficina a otro edificio?” — Do you move the office to another building?
Pedro: “Sí, yo traslado a un enfermo al hospital.” — Yes, I move a patient to hospital.
Marta: “Nosotros trasladamos los muebles a la casa nueva.” — We move the furniture to the new house.
Pedro: “Y ellos trasladan la oficina a otro edificio.” — And they move the office to another building.
Marta: “Vosotros trasladáis a un empleado a Madrid.” — You move an employee to Madrid.
Pedro: “Sí, y él traslada a un enfermo al hospital.” — Yes, and he moves a patient to hospital.
A short paragraph
Traslada a un enfermo al hospital, y nosotros trasladamos los muebles a la casa nueva. Yo traslado la oficina a otro edificio, y ellos trasladan a un empleado a Madrid. Trasladar is part of everyday life, because move, to transfer is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with trasladar
These are the errors learners actually make with trasladar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo traslada a un enfermo al hospital.” Right: “Yo traslado a un enfermo al hospital.” Why: The person matters: traslada is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is traslado. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo traslado la oficina a otro edificio.” Right: “Ayer yo trasladé la oficina a otro edificio.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: traslado is happening now, while trasladé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating trasladar and trasladarse as identical in every context.” Right: “Trasladar means to move, to transfer, while trasladarse means to move yourself.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: trasladar fits sentences such as Traslado a un enfermo al hospital, while trasladarse belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy trasladado la oficina a otro edificio.” Right: “Yo he trasladado la oficina a otro edificio.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he trasladado, has trasladado, ha trasladado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo trasladé a un empleado a Madrid todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo trasladaba a un empleado a Madrid todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (trasladaba), not the preterite. The preterite (trasladé) is for one finished action.
Quiz: trasladar in use
Ten questions on trasladar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a un enfermo al hospital.” (You move a patient to hospital.)
- (a) trasladáis
- (b) traslado
- (c) trasladas
Answer: trasladáis — The vosotros/as form of trasladar in the present tense is trasladáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ la oficina a otro edificio.” (They move the office to another building.)
- (a) trasladas
- (b) trasladan
- (c) traslado
Answer: trasladan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of trasladar in the present tense is trasladan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ a un enfermo al hospital.” (Yesterday I moved a patient to hospital.)
- (a) trasladaste
- (b) trasladó
- (c) trasladé
Answer: trasladé — In the preterite, the yo form of trasladar is trasladé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ la oficina a otro edificio.” (Before, he used to move the office to another building.)
- (a) trasladaba
- (b) traslado
- (c) trasladabas
Answer: trasladaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of trasladar is trasladaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ a un empleado a Madrid.” (Tomorrow we will move an employee to Madrid.)
- (a) trasladarás
- (b) trasladaremos
- (c) trasladaré
Answer: trasladaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of trasladar is trasladaremos.
6. What does trasladar mean in English?
- (a) to move, to transfer
- (b) to pass through, to travel
- (c) to move yourself
Answer: to move, to transfer — Trasladar means “to move, to transfer”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo traslada a un enfermo al hospital.
- (b) Ellos traslada la oficina a otro edificio.
- (c) Yo traslado a un enfermo al hospital.
Answer: Yo traslado a un enfermo al hospital. — “Yo traslado a un enfermo al hospital.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I move a patient to hospital.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre traslada los muebles a la casa nueva.
- (b) Traslado a un enfermo al hospital.
- (c) Trasladan a un enfermo al hospital.
Answer: Traslado a un enfermo al hospital. — “Traslado a un enfermo al hospital.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of trasladar in the present tense?
- (a) traslado
- (b) trasladas
- (c) trasladamos
Answer: trasladamos — The nosotros form is trasladamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros trasladaremos a un empleado a Madrid.
- (b) Traslado a un enfermo al hospital.
- (c) Ayer, yo trasladé a un enfermo al hospital.
Answer: Traslado a un enfermo al hospital. — “Traslado a un enfermo al hospital.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I move a patient to hospital' in Spanish?
Say 'Traslado a un enfermo al hospital'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Traslado a un enfermo al hospital todos los días'.
How do you say 'He moves the office to another building' in Spanish?
Say 'Él traslada la oficina a otro edificio'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes traslada.
What is the difference between trasladar and trasladarse?
Trasladar means to move, to transfer, while trasladarse means to move yourself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use trasladar when you mean to move, to transfer, as in 'Traslado a un enfermo al hospital', and use trasladarse for to move yourself.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of trasladar — every tense of trasladar in one place.
- Trasladar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on trasladar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of trasladar until they are automatic.