Tratar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of tratar — to try — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. 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. This page gives you the complete present tense table for tratar, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo trato de estudiar cada día.” — “I try to study every day”.

Present tense conjugation of tratar

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for tratar. Tratar is a regular -ar verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present tense indicative — tratar

Person Form
yo trato
tú tratas
él/ella/Ud. trata
nosotros/as tratamos
vosotros/as tratáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. tratan

The gerund of tratar is tratando and the past participle is tratado. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of tratar is formed

For a regular -ar verb, the present tense is built on the stem trat- (the infinitive tratar without its -ar ending) plus the present tense endings: yo → trato, tú → tratas, él/ella/Ud. → trata, nosotros/as → tratamos, vosotros/as → tratáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → tratan. So tratar gives trato, tratas, trata, tratamos, tratáis and tratan. There is nothing irregular to memorise for this verb in this tense — the endings do all the work, and the stress falls where the endings put it.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, tratáis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of tratar

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with tratar: “Yo trato de estudiar cada día.” — “I try to study every day”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with tratar: “Ella trata bien a sus empleados.” — “She treats her employees well”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with tratar: “Nosotros tratamos de un tema difícil.” — “We deal with a difficult topic”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with tratar: “Ellos tratan de aprender español.” — “They try to learn Spanish”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: tratar now, tratar later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo trato de estudiar todos los días.” — “I try to study every day.”

  • Future: “Yo trataré de estudiar mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will try to study.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella trata de estudiar ahora.” — “She tries to study now.”

  • Future: “Ella tratará de estudiar la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will try to study.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros tratamos de estudiar en clase.” — “We try to study in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros trataremos de estudiar el lunes.” — “On Monday we will try to study.”

Example sentences: tratar in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of tratar, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “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.”

Common mistakes with tratar in the present tense

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 the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of tratar. 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 tú form of tratar in the present tense?

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

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is tratas.

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

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

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

4. What is the nosotros/as form of tratar in the present tense?

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

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is tratamos.

5. 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.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ bien a sus empleados.” (She treats her employees well.)

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

Answer: D — The sentence needs trata.

7. Which sentence is correct?

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

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

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Nosotros tratamos de un tema difícil.
  • B) Tratar con un tema — mixing the senses.

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

Frequently asked questions

Is tratar regular in the present tense?

Yes. tratar is a regular -ar verb and its present tense follows the standard endings, so once you know the stem trat- you can build all six forms. The only thing to watch is the spelling of the endings themselves, including the accents.

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

It is trato. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for tratar it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of tratar instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of tratar?

Say the six forms aloud in order — trato, tratas, trata, tratamos, tratáis, tratan — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and 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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