Tratar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

tratar — to try — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Tratar means to try, to treat, and to deal with: tratar de + infinitive (to try to), tratar bien a alguien (to treat someone well), tratar de un tema (to be about a topic). It is regular. The sense depends on the preposition that follows it, which is why learners need examples for each one. On this page you will find tratar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with tratar

In the present tense

  • “Yo trato de estudiar cada día.” — “I try to study every day.”
  • “Ella trata bien a sus empleados.” — “She treats her employees well.”
  • “Nosotros tratamos de un tema difícil.” — “We deal with a difficult topic.”
  • “Ellos tratan de aprender español.” — “They try to learn Spanish.”
  • “¿Tú tratas de entender el problema?” — “Are you trying to understand the problem?”
  • “Vosotros tratáis de resolverlo juntos.” — “You try to solve it together.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo traté de llamarte tres veces.” — “Yesterday I tried to call you three times.”
  • “Ella trató al cliente con respeto.” — “She treated the client with respect.”
  • “Nosotros tratamos de un asunto urgente.” — “We dealt with an urgent matter.”
  • “Ellos trataron de abrir la puerta.” — “They tried to open the door.”
  • “¿Tú trataste de hablar con el jefe?” — “Did you try to speak to the boss?”
  • “El médico trató al paciente con cuidado.” — “The doctor treated the patient carefully.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo trataba de estudiar cada día.” — “As a child, I used to try to study every day.”
  • “Mañana, yo trataré de estudiar cada día.” — “Tomorrow, I will try to study every day.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo trataría de estudiar cada día.” — “If I could, I would try to study every day.”
  • “Yo he tratado de estudiar cada día.” — “I have tried to study every day.”

Tratar in context

Cada día, yo trato de estudiar cada día. Mi amigo también trata de estudiar cada día cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo trato de estudiar de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de tratar es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo traté de estudiar cada día. Mi amigo trató de estudiar cada día también, y por la noche yo traté de estudiar otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de tratar aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with tratar

Mistake 1

Wrong: Tratar a estudiar — wrong preposition.

Right: Yo trato de estudiar.

To try to do something is tratar de + infinitive, never tratar a.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Tratar con un tema — mixing the senses.

Right: Nosotros tratamos de un tema difícil.

A book or meeting tratar de un tema (is about); tratar con is to deal with a person.

Quiz: tratar in everyday use

Ten questions on tratar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of tratar in the present tense?

  • A) trato
  • B) tratas
  • C) trata
  • D) tratamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is trato.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tratar in the present tense?

  • A) trato
  • B) tratas
  • C) tratamos
  • D) trata

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is trata.

3. What is the yo form of tratar in the preterite?

  • A) trató
  • B) tratamos
  • C) traté
  • D) trataste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is traté.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of tratar in the preterite?

  • A) trató
  • B) trataron
  • C) traté
  • D) trataste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is trataron.

5. What is the yo form of tratar in the imperfect?

  • A) trataba
  • B) tratabas
  • C) trataba
  • D) tratábamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is trataba.

6. What is the tú form of tratar in the future?

  • A) trataré
  • B) tratará
  • C) trataremos
  • D) tratarás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is tratarás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tratar in the conditional?

  • A) tratarías
  • B) trataríamos
  • C) trataría
  • D) trataría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is trataría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of tratar in the present perfect?

  • A) ha tratado
  • B) hemos tratado
  • C) he tratado
  • D) has tratado

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos tratado.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ de estudiar cada día.” (I try to study every day.)

  • A) trato
  • B) tratas
  • C) trata
  • D) tratamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs trato.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo trato de estudiar.
  • B) Tratar a estudiar — wrong preposition.

Answer: A — To try to do something is tratar de + infinitive, never tratar a.

Frequently asked questions

What does tratar mean?

tratar means “to try” in English. Tratar means to try, to treat, and to deal with: tratar de + infinitive (to try to), tratar bien a alguien (to treat someone well), tratar de un tema (to be about a topic). It is regular. The sense depends on the preposition that follows it, which is why learners need examples for each one.

Is tratar regular?

Yes. tratar is a regular -ar verb, so its forms follow the standard endings in every tense. That makes it a good verb to learn early — once you know the endings, you know the verb.

When do I use tratar in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — traté, trataste, trató — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — trataba, tratabas, trataba — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to tratar as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise tratar?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Tratar Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for tratar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo trato…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo traté…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo trataré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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