Trazar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb trazar means to draw, to trace, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, trazar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is tracé and the present subjunctive yo form is trace.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: trazar
  • English: to draw, to trace
  • Verb type: spelling-changing -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: trazando
  • Past participle: trazado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + trazado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for trazar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for trazar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | trazo | | tú | trazas | | él/ella/Ud. | traza | | nosotros/as | trazamos | | vosotros/as | trazáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | trazan |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tracé | | tú | trazaste | | él/ella/Ud. | trazó | | nosotros/as | trazamos | | vosotros/as | trazasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | trazaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | trazaba | | tú | trazabas | | él/ella/Ud. | trazaba | | nosotros/as | trazábamos | | vosotros/as | trazabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | trazaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | trazaré | | tú | trazarás | | él/ella/Ud. | trazará | | nosotros/as | trazaremos | | vosotros/as | trazaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | trazarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | trazaría | | tú | trazarías | | él/ella/Ud. | trazaría | | nosotros/as | trazaríamos | | vosotros/as | trazaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | trazarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he trazado | | tú | has trazado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha trazado | | nosotros/as | hemos trazado | | vosotros/as | habéis trazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han trazado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había trazado | | tú | habías trazado | | él/ella/Ud. | había trazado | | nosotros/as | habíamos trazado | | vosotros/as | habíais trazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían trazado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré trazado | | tú | habrás trazado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá trazado | | nosotros/as | habremos trazado | | vosotros/as | habréis trazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán trazado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría trazado | | tú | habrías trazado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría trazado | | nosotros/as | habríamos trazado | | vosotros/as | habríais trazado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían trazado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | trace | | tú | traces | | él/ella/Ud. | trace | | nosotros/as | tracemos | | vosotros/as | tracéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tracen |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | trazara | | tú | trazaras | | él/ella/Ud. | trazara | | nosotros/as | trazáramos | | vosotros/as | trazarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | trazaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | traza | | él/ella/Ud. | trace | | nosotros/as | tracemos | | vosotros/as | trazad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tracen |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | traces | | él/ella/Ud. | trace | | nosotros/as | tracemos | | vosotros/as | tracéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tracen |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund trazando with estar for the progressive: está trazando
Past participle trazado with haber for the perfect tenses: he trazado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel — "I draw a straight line on the paper".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is tracé and the present subjunctive yo form is trace. For trazar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo tracé el plano de la casa — "Yesterday, I drew the plan of the house".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo trazaba una ruta en el mapa — "As a child, I used to draw a route on the map".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo trazaré una sonrisa en el rostro — "Tomorrow, I will draw a smile on his face".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo trazaría una línea recta en el papel si pudiera — "I would draw a straight line on the paper if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he trazado el plano de la casa — "Today, I have drawn the plan of the house".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había trazado una ruta en el mapa antes de salir — "I already had drawn a route on the map before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré trazado una sonrisa en el rostro — "By tomorrow, I will have drawn a smile on his face".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría trazado una línea recta en el papel con más tiempo — "I would have drawn a straight line on the paper with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. The z of the stem becomes c before e: the preterite yo form is tracé and the present subjunctive yo form is trace. For trazar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él trace el plano de la casa — "I hope he draws the plan of the house".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo trazara una ruta en el mapa, todo cambiaría — "If I drew a route on the map, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Traza una sonrisa en el rostro. — "Draw a smile on his face.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For trazar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No traces una línea recta en el papel. — "Do not draw a straight line on the paper.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with trazar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo tracé una ruta en el mapa — "Yesterday, I drew a route on the map"
  4. Antes, nosotros trazábamos una sonrisa en el rostro — "Before, we used to draw a smile on his face"
  5. Mañana, tú trazarás un círculo con el compás — "Tomorrow, you will draw a circle with the compass"
  6. Yo trazaría una línea recta en el papel si tuviera más tiempo — "I would draw a straight line on the paper if I had more time"
  7. Él ha trazado el plano de la casa — "He has drawn the plan of the house"
  8. Espero que él trace una ruta en el mapa — "I hope he draws a route on the map"
  9. Yo ya había trazado una sonrisa en el rostro antes de salir — "I already had drawn a smile on his face before leaving"
  10. Ellos trazaban un círculo con el compás cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to draw a circle with the compass when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Ayer, yo trazé una ruta en el mapa. — Right: Ayer, yo tracé una ruta en el mapa. — The z of trazar becomes c before e, so the preterite yo form is tracé, never trazé.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él traza el plano de la casa — Right: Espero que él trace el plano de la casa — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él trace el plano de la casa — not the indicative Espero que él traza el plano de la casa.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo trazo una ruta en el mapa — Right: Ayer, yo tracé una ruta en el mapa — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo tracé una ruta en el mapa.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo tracé una sonrisa en el rostro todos los días — Right: De niño, yo trazaba una sonrisa en el rostro todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo trazaba una sonrisa en el rostro todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo trazo en una línea recta en el papel. — Right: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel. — trazar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo trazo una línea recta en el papel.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on trazar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ el plano de la casa — "He drew the plan of the house" (preterite) A. trazamos B. trazó C. tracé D. trazaste

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ una sonrisa en el rostro — "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: Espero que él ______ una línea recta en el papel — "I hope he draws a straight line on the paper" (present subjunctive) A. tracéis B. trace C. traces D. tracemos

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ el plano de la casa, todo cambiaría — "If I drew the plan of the house, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. trazarais B. trazara C. trazaras D. trazáramos

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ una ruta en el mapa — "We have drawn a route on the map" (present perfect) A. hemos trazado B. he trazado C. has trazado D. ha trazado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ una sonrisa en el rostro. — "Do not draw a smile on his face." (negative imperative) A. tracéis B. traces C. trace D. tracemos

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

Answer key

  1. trazo — The present form for yo is trazo.
  2. trazó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is trazó.
  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. trace — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is trace.
  7. trazara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is trazara.
  8. hemos trazado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos trazado.
  9. traces — The negative imperative form is traces.
  10. trazando — The gerund of trazar is trazando: estoy trazando. The participle trazado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does trazar mean in English?

trazar means to draw, to trace. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. Apart from that change, it follows the regular endings.

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 I say "I draw" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo tracé el plano de la casa — "Yesterday, I drew the plan of the house". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo trazaba una ruta en el mapa — "As a child, I used to draw a route on the map". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he trazado el plano de la casa — "Today, I have drawn the plan of the house".

What is the difference between trazar and dibujar?

Dibujar is drawing pictures or figures. Trazar is tracing or drawing lines, plans and routes, so you trazas una línea but dibujas un retrato. 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.

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