Trazar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of trazar — "to draw, to trace" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for trazar 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. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper".
Present tense conjugation table: trazar
Every person of trazar in the present tense. The gerund is trazando and the past participle is trazado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | trazo |
| tú | trazas |
| él/ella/Ud. | traza |
| nosotros/as | trazamos |
| vosotros/as | trazáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | trazan |
How the present of trazar is formed
The present of trazar is built from the stem traz- 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 | trazo |
| tú | -as | trazas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | traza |
| nosotros/as | -amos | trazamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | trazáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | trazan |
The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is tracé and the present subjunctive yo form is trace.
The gerund of trazar is trazando and the past participle is trazado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of trazar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and trazar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo trazo una línea recta en el papel" — "Every day, I draw a straight line on the paper"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo traza el plano de la casa" — "My friend draws the plan of the house"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo trazo una ruta en el mapa" — "Right now, I draw a route on the map"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros trazamos una sonrisa en el rostro" — "Tomorrow, we draw a smile on his face"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos trazan un círculo con el compás" — "They draw a circle with the compass"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo tracé una línea recta en el papel — "I drew a straight line on the paper"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú trazas el plano de la casa — "You draw the plan of the house"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú trazabas el plano de la casa — "You used to draw the plan of the house"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él traza una ruta en el mapa — "He draws a route on the map"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él trazará una ruta en el mapa — "He will draw a route on the map"
Examples: trazar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show trazar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper"
- Tú trazas el plano de la casa — "You draw the plan of the house"
- Él traza una ruta en el mapa — "He draws a route on the map"
- Nosotros trazamos una sonrisa en el rostro — "We draw a smile on his face"
- Vosotros trazáis un círculo con el compás — "You draw a circle with the compass"
- Ellos trazan una línea recta en el papel — "They draw a straight line on the paper"
- Yo trazo el plano de la casa — "I draw the plan of the house"
Common mistakes with trazar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with trazar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Ayer, yo trazé una línea recta en el papel.
✓ Correct: Ayer, yo tracé una línea recta en el papel.
The z of trazar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is tracé, never trazé.
✗ *Tú traza el plano de la casa.
✓ Correct: Tú trazas el plano de la casa.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes trazas, él takes traza.
✗ *Cada día, yo tracé una ruta en el mapa
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo trazo una ruta en el mapa
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros trazais una sonrisa en el rostro.
✓ Correct: Vosotros trazáis una sonrisa en el rostro.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: trazáis, not trazais.
Quiz: trazar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of trazar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of trazar for tú? A. trazas B. trazo C. traza D. trazamos
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
Complete the sentence: Él ______ el plano de la casa — "He draws the plan of the house" (present) A. trazamos B. traza C. trazo D. trazas
Which is the correct present form of trazar for nosotros? A. trazas B. traza C. trazan D. trazamos
Which sentence uses trazar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo trazamos una ruta en el mapa B. Mi amigo traza una ruta en el mapa C. Mi amigo trazas una ruta en el mapa D. Mi amigo trazaba una ruta en el mapa
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ una sonrisa en el rostro — "You draw a smile on his face" (present) A. trazas B. traza C. trazáis D. trazo
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ un círculo con el compás — "They draw a circle with the compass" (present) A. trazas B. traza C. trazan D. trazo
What is the gerund of trazar? A. trazo B. tracé C. trazando D. trazado
Answer key
- trazas — The tú form in the present is trazas.
- trazo — The present form for yo is trazo.
- traza — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is traza.
- trazamos — The nosotros form in the present is trazamos.
- Mi amigo traza una ruta en el mapa — Mi amigo traza una ruta en el mapa is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- trazáis — The present form for vosotros/as is trazáis.
- trazan — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is trazan.
- trazando — The gerund is trazando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle trazado.
Frequently asked questions
Is trazar regular in the present tense?
Yes — in the present tense trazar follows the regular endings for -ar verbs, as the table above shows.
What is the gerund and the past participle of trazar?
The gerund is trazando and the past participle is trazado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I draw" in the present tense?
Say trazo. For example: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of trazar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo tracé una línea recta en el papel — "Yesterday, I drew a straight line on the paper". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of trazar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- trazar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.