Tratarse Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of tratarse — “to be about” in English — is the form you need for talking about what something is about, right now and in general. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for tratarse with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Se trata de un problema de salud. — “It is about a health problem.”

Present tense conjugation table: tratarse

Every person of tratarse in the present tense. The gerund is tratando and the past participle is tratado.

Person Pronoun Form
yo me trato
tú te tratas
él/ella/Ud. se trata
nosotros/as nos tratamos
vosotros/as os tratáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se tratan

The gerund is tratando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy tratando” means the action of tratarse is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is tratado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he tratado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how tratarse is used.

How the present of tratarse is formed

The present of tratarse is built from the stem trat plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.

Person Ending Form
yo -o me trato
tú -as te tratas
él/ella/Ud. -a se trata
nosotros/as -amos nos tratamos
vosotros/as -áis os tratáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. -an se tratan

tratarse is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is trat and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so there are no surprises to memorise in this tense — the challenge is only using the forms naturally.

The gerund of tratarse is tratando and the past participle is tratado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.

When to use the present of tratarse

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use tratarse in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. A routine or habit

The present tense of tratarse is the tense for what happens regularly. When something is part of your routine, your week or your normal life, the present is the right choice, and tratarse is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.

Example: “Se trata de un problema de salud.” — It is about a health problem.

2. A general fact

The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what tratarse means in the world — what it does, who it affects, how it works — the present is the tense to use. There is no time limit on the statement, so no past or future form is needed.

Example: “El libro se trata de una historia real.” — The book is about a true story.

3. Something happening right now

The present tense describes what is happening at this very moment. You do not need the progressive (estar plus the gerund) to say what is going on now: the simple present does the job in Spanish, and it is the more common choice in everyday speech.

Example: “La película se trata de un viaje a Madrid.” — The film is about a trip to Madrid.

4. A plan or arrangement

Spanish uses the present tense for plans that are already fixed, especially with a time expression such as mañana or el lunes. When the arrangement is made, the present tense states it as a fact, and tratarse follows the same rule as every other verb.

Example: “El informe se trata del nuevo proyecto.” — The report is about the new project.

5. Asking and answering questions

Questions in the present tense ask about routines, facts and what is happening now. The answer uses the same tense, so a question and its answer stay in the present together. This is the pattern you will hear most often in conversation.

Example: “¿De qué se trata de un problema de salud?” — What is it about a health problem?

The present vs the preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present reports what happens now, what happens regularly, or what is generally true, while the preterite reports one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is happening now or is already finished. Time words help: ahora and todos los días point to the present, while ayer and anoche point to the preterite.

  • Present: “Se trata de un problema de salud.” — It is about a health problem.

  • Preterite: “Se trató de un problema de salud.” — It was about a health problem.

  • The present sentence describes the subject as it is now; the Preterite sentence describes it in the past. That difference — now versus then — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “El libro se trata de una historia real.” — The book is about a true story.

  • Preterite: “El libro se trató de una historia real.” — The book was about a true story.

  • The present sentence describes the subject as it is now; the Preterite sentence describes it in the past. That difference — now versus then — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “La película se trata de un viaje a Madrid.” — The film is about a trip to Madrid.

  • Preterite: “La película se trató de un viaje a Madrid.” — The film was about a trip to Madrid.

  • The present sentence describes the subject as it is now; the Preterite sentence describes it in the past. That difference — now versus then — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: tratarse in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Se trata de un problema de salud.” — It is about a health problem.

  2. “El libro se trata de una historia real.” — The book is about a true story.

  3. “La película se trata de un viaje a Madrid.” — The film is about a trip to Madrid.

  4. “El informe se trata del nuevo proyecto.” — The report is about the new project.

  5. “El tema se trata de un problema de salud.” — The topic is about a health problem.

  6. “Se trata de una historia real.” — It is about a true story.

  7. “El libro se trata de un viaje a Madrid.” — The book is about a trip to Madrid.

  8. “La película se trata del nuevo proyecto.” — The film is about the new project.

Common mistakes with tratarse in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. 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: “Se trata de un problema de salud ayer.” Right: “Ayer, se trató de un problema de salud.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to trató.

  • Wrong: “Se trata de de un problema de salud sin de.” Right: “Se trata de un problema de salud.” Why: Tratarse always takes de before its topic: se trata de un problema. The de is part of the construction, never optional.

  • Wrong: “El libro trata de una historia real.” Right: “El libro se trata de una historia real.” Why: Without the pronoun se, tratar means to treat or to deal with, not to be about. The pronoun is what makes tratarse mean “to be about”.

Quiz: tratarse in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “___ de un problema de salud.” (present tense)

  • (a) se trata
  • (b) me trato
  • (c) te tratas

Answer: se trata — The él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present is se trata.

2. Complete the sentence: “El libro ___ de una historia real.” (present tense)

  • (a) me trato
  • (b) te tratas
  • (c) se trata

Answer: se trata — The él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present is se trata.

3. Complete the sentence: “La película ___ de un viaje a Madrid.” (present tense)

  • (a) te tratas
  • (b) se trata
  • (c) me trato

Answer: se trata — The él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present is se trata.

4. Complete the sentence: “El informe ___ del nuevo proyecto.” (present tense)

  • (a) se trata
  • (b) me trato
  • (c) te tratas

Answer: se trata — The él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present is se trata.

5. What does tratarse mean in English?

  • (a) to treat
  • (b) to transform (oneself)
  • (c) to be about

Answer: to be about — Tratarse means to be about.

6. Which sentence is in the present?

  • (a) Se tratará de un problema de salud.
  • (b) Se trata de un problema de salud.
  • (c) 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. The other two use different tenses.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tratarse in the present?

  • (a) trata
  • (b) trato
  • (c) tratan

Answer: trata — From the table above: él/ella/Ud. takes trata.

8. Which is the gerund of tratarse?

  • (a) tratado
  • (b) trato
  • (c) tratando

Answer: tratando — The gerund of tratarse is tratando, used with estar for the progressive.

Frequently asked questions

Is tratarse regular in the present?

Yes. Tratarse is regular in the present: trato, tratas, trata, tratamos, tratáis and tratan. Watch the accents on the forms that carry them, and remember that the nosotros form is the one that keeps the stem unchanged.

What is the gerund and the past participle of tratarse?

The gerund is tratando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy tratando. The past participle is tratado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he tratado.

What should I watch out for with tratarse?

Tratarse is almost always third person: se trata de un problema. The pronoun se is part of the meaning. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is trato, because that form shows the pattern for the whole tense.

How do I practise tratarse in the present?

Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the tratarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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