Introduction
Tratarse means “to be about”, and it is the verb you reach for when you want to say what a book, a film, a meeting or a problem is about. Tratarse means to be about, and it is used for the subject of a book, a film, a meeting and a problem: se trata de un viaje, se trata de un error. It is almost always used in the third person with de, and it is fully regular. The non-reflexive tratar means to treat or to deal with. This page shows tratarse 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: “Se trata de un problema de salud.” — It is about a health problem.
Tratarse in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how tratarse 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 tratarse in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Se trata de un problema de salud.” — It is about a health problem.
“El libro se trata de una historia real.” — The book is about a true story.
“La película se trata de un viaje a Madrid.” — The film is about a trip to Madrid.
“El informe se trata del nuevo proyecto.” — The report is about the new project.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show tratarse in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, se trató de un problema de salud.” — Yesterday, it was about a health problem. (preterite)
“Antes, se trataba de una historia real.” — Before, it was about a true story. (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 tratarse stays the same.
“Mañana, se tratará de un viaje a Madrid.” — Tomorrow, it will be about a trip to Madrid. (future)
“Ya se ha tratado del nuevo proyecto.” — It has already been about the new project. (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“El tema se trata de un problema de salud.” — The topic is about a health problem.
“Se trata de una historia real.” — It is about a true story.
“El libro se trata de un viaje a Madrid.” — The book is about a trip to Madrid.
“La película se trata del nuevo proyecto.” — The film is about the new project.
Tratarse 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 tratarse appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿De qué se trata el libro?” — What is the book about?
Pedro: “Se trata de un problema de salud.” — It is about a health problem.
Marta: “¿Y la película?” — And the film?
Pedro: “Se trata de una historia real.” — It is about a true story.
Marta: “¿Y el informe?” — And the report?
Pedro: “Se trata de un viaje a Madrid.” — It is about a trip to Madrid.
A short paragraph
El libro se trata de un problema de salud, y la película se trata de una historia real. El informe se trata de un viaje a Madrid, y el tema se trata del nuevo proyecto. Tratarse is the verb for what something is about, because every book, film and meeting has a subject, and saying what it is about is one of the first things you do in a conversation.
Common mistakes with tratarse
These are the errors learners actually make with tratarse. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo me trato de un problema de salud.” Right: “Se trata de un problema de salud.” Why: Tratarse is almost always third person: se trata, not yo me trato. The subject is the thing the conversation is about, not the speaker.
Wrong: “Ayer yo trato de una historia real.” Right: “Ayer yo traté de una historia real.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: trato is happening now, while traté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating tratarse and tratar as identical in every context.” Right: “Tratarse means to be about, while tratar means to treat, to deal with.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: tratarse fits sentences such as Se trata de un problema de salud, while tratar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy tratado de una historia real.” Right: “Yo he tratado de una historia real.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he tratado, has tratado, ha tratado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo traté de un viaje a Madrid todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo trataba de un viaje a Madrid todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (trataba), not the preterite. The preterite (traté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: tratarse in use
Ten questions on tratarse in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “___ de un problema de salud.” (It is about a health problem.)
- (a) me trato
- (b) te tratas
- (c) se trata
Answer: se trata — The él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present tense is se trata.
2. Complete the sentence: “El libro ___ de una historia real.” (The book is about a true story.)
- (a) nos tratamos
- (b) se trata
- (c) me trato
Answer: se trata — The él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present tense is se trata.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer, ___ de un problema de salud.” (Yesterday, it was about a health problem.)
- (a) se trataste
- (b) se trató
- (c) se traté
Answer: se trató — In the preterite, the él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse is se trató.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, ___ de una historia real.” (Before, it was about a true story.)
- (a) se trataba
- (b) me trato
- (c) se tratabas
Answer: se trataba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse is se trataba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, ___ de un viaje a Madrid.” (Tomorrow, it will be about a trip to Madrid.)
- (a) se tratarás
- (b) se tratará
- (c) se trataré
Answer: se tratará — In the future, the él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse is se tratará.
6. What does tratarse mean in English?
- (a) to be about
- (b) to transform (oneself)
- (c) to treat, to deal with
Answer: to be about — Tratarse means “to be about”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo me trato de un problema de salud.
- (b) El libro trata de una historia real.
- (c) Se trata de un problema de salud.
Answer: Se trata de un problema de salud. — “Se trata de un problema de salud.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “It is about a health problem.” in Spanish?
- (a) El libro se trata del nuevo proyecto.
- (b) Se trata de un problema de salud.
- (c) Me trato de un problema de salud.
Answer: Se trata de un problema de salud. — “Se trata de un problema de salud.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present tense?
- (a) trata
- (b) trato
- (c) tratan
Answer: trata — The él/ella/Ud. form is trata.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, se tratará de un viaje a Madrid.
- (b) Se trata de un problema de salud.
- (c) Ayer, se trató de un problema de salud.
Answer: Se trata de un problema de salud. — “Se trata de un problema de salud.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'It is about a health problem' in Spanish?
Say 'Se trata de un problema de salud'. The topic follows directly with de. For a book: 'El libro se trata de una historia real'.
How do you say 'The film is about a trip to Madrid' in Spanish?
Say 'La película se trata de un viaje a Madrid'. The film is the subject, and the topic takes the preposition de.
What is the difference between tratarse and tratar?
Tratarse means to be about, while tratar means to treat, to deal with. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use tratarse when you mean to be about, as in 'Se trata de un problema de salud', and use tratar for to treat, to deal with.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of tratarse — every tense of tratarse in one place.
- Tratarse 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 tratarse and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of tratarse until they are automatic.