Trazar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

trazar means "to draw, to trace" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Trazar is the verb for drawing lines, plans and routes — the outline rather than the picture. It is also used figuratively: trazar un plan means to draw up a plan. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of trazar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the trazar present tense page.

trazar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper"
  2. Mi amigo traza el plano de la casa — "My friend draws the plan of the house"
  3. Mañana, tú trazarás una ruta en el mapa — "Tomorrow, you will draw a route on the map"
  4. Yo trazaría una sonrisa en el rostro si pudiera — "I would draw a smile on his face if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo tracé una línea recta en el papel — "Yesterday, I drew a straight line on the paper"
  2. Antes, nosotros trazábamos el plano de la casa — "Before, we used to draw the plan of the house"
  3. Él ha trazado una ruta en el mapa — "He has drawn a route on the map"
  4. Yo ya había trazado una sonrisa en el rostro antes de salir — "I already had drawn a smile on his face before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él trace una línea recta en el papel — "I hope he draws a straight line on the paper"
  2. Si yo trazara el plano de la casa, todo cambiaría — "If I drew the plan of the house, everything would change"
  3. Traza una ruta en el mapa. — "Draw a route on the map."
  4. Yo habría trazado una sonrisa en el rostro con más tiempo — "I would have drawn a smile on his face with more time"

trazar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use trazar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper"
  • Marcos: Él traza el plano de la casa — "He draws the plan of the house"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo tracé una ruta en el mapa — "Yesterday, I drew a route on the map"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú trazarás una sonrisa en el rostro — "Tomorrow, you will draw a smile on his face"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Traza un círculo con el compás. — "Draw a circle with the compass."
  • Lucía: Él ha trazado una línea recta en el papel — "He has drawn a straight line on the paper"
  • Marcos: Espero que él trace el plano de la casa — "I hope he draws the plan of the house"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo trazaba una ruta en el mapa — "Before, I used to draw a route on the map"

Common mistakes with trazar

The errors learners actually make with trazar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Ayer, yo trazé un círculo con el compás.

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo tracé un círculo con el compás.

The z of trazar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is tracé, never trazé.

✗ *Espero que él traza una sonrisa en el rostro

✓ Correct: Espero que él trace una sonrisa en el rostro

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él trace una sonrisa en el rostro — not the indicative Espero que él traza una sonrisa en el rostro.

✗ *Ayer, yo trazo un círculo con el compás

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo tracé un círculo con el compás

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo tracé un círculo con el compás.

✗ *De niño, yo tracé una línea recta en el papel todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo trazaba una línea recta en el papel todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo trazaba una línea recta en el papel todos los días.

✗ *Yo trazo en una ruta en el mapa.

✓ Correct: Yo trazo una ruta en el mapa.

trazar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo trazo una ruta en el mapa.

Quiz: trazar in use

Ten questions on trazar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper" (present) A. trazamos B. trazo C. trazas D. traza

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el plano de la casa — "Yesterday, I drew the plan of the house" (preterite) A. trazaste B. trazó C. trazamos D. tracé

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ una ruta en el mapa — "Before, we used to draw a route on the map" (imperfect) A. trazaba B. trazabas C. trazabais D. trazábamos

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ una sonrisa en el rostro — "Tomorrow, you will draw a smile on his face" (future) A. trazaremos B. trazarás C. trazaré D. trazará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ un círculo con el compás — "I would draw a circle with the compass" (conditional) A. trazaría B. trazarías C. trazaríamos D. trazaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ una línea recta en el papel — "He has drawn a straight line on the paper" (present perfect) A. hemos trazado B. ha trazado C. he trazado D. has trazado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el plano de la casa — "I hope he draws the plan of the house" (present subjunctive) A. tracéis B. trace C. traces D. tracemos

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ una ruta en el mapa. — "Draw a route on the map." (affirmative imperative) A. trace B. tracemos C. trazad D. traza

  9. Which is the gerund of trazar, used with estar for the progressive? A. trazo B. tracé C. trazando D. trazado

  10. What does trazar mean in English? A. to draw B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to threaten

Answer key

  1. trazo — The present form for yo is trazo.
  2. tracé — The preterite form for yo is tracé.
  3. trazábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is trazábamos.
  4. trazarás — The future form for tú is trazarás.
  5. trazaría — The conditional form for yo is trazaría.
  6. ha trazado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha trazado.
  7. trace — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is trace.
  8. traza — The affirmative imperative form is traza.
  9. trazando — The gerund of trazar is trazando: estoy trazando. The participle trazado is used with haber instead.
  10. to draw — trazar means to draw.

Frequently asked questions

What does trazar mean in English?

trazar means to draw, to trace. For example: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with trazar?

trazar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is trazar regular?

Almost. trazar is a spelling-changing -ar verb. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is tracé and the present subjunctive yo form is trace.

How do I practise trazar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

Related links