Introduction
Trotar means “to trot, to jog”, and it is one of the verbs you will use again and again in Spanish. Trotar means to trot or to jog, and it is used for horses trotting and for people jogging in the park: trotar por el parque, trotar cada mañana. It is a fully regular -ar verb. This page shows trotar 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: “Troto por el parque cada mañana.” — I trot in the park every morning.
Trotar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how trotar 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 trotar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Troto por el parque cada mañana.” — I trot in the park every morning.
“¿Trotas con el caballo en el campo?” — Do you trot with the horse in the field?
“Trota cinco kilómetros al día.” — He/she trots five kilometres a day.
“Nosotros trotamos suavemente para calentar.” — We trot gently to warm up.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show trotar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo troté por el parque cada mañana.” — Yesterday, I trotted in the park every morning. (preterite)
“Antes, él trotaba con el caballo en el campo.” — Before, he used to trot with the horse in the field. (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 trotar stays the same.
“Mañana, nosotros trotaremos cinco kilómetros al día.” — Tomorrow, we will trot five kilometres a day. (future)
“¿Tú has trotado suavemente para calentar?” — Have you trotted gently to warm up? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros trotáis por el parque cada mañana.” — You trot in the park every morning.
“Ellos trotan con el caballo en el campo.” — They trot with the horse in the field.
“Yo troto cinco kilómetros al día.” — I trot five kilometres a day.
“Mi padre trota suavemente para calentar.” — My father trots gently to warm up.
Trotar 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 trotar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú trotas con el caballo en el campo?” — Do you trot with the horse in the field?
Pedro: “Sí, yo troto por el parque cada mañana.” — Yes, I trot in the park every morning.
Marta: “Nosotros trotamos suavemente para calentar.” — We trot gently to warm up.
Pedro: “Y ellos trotan con el caballo en el campo.” — And they trot with the horse in the field.
Marta: “Vosotros trotáis cinco kilómetros al día.” — You trot five kilometres a day.
Pedro: “Sí, y él trota por el parque cada mañana.” — Yes, and he trots in the park every morning.
A short paragraph
Trota por el parque cada mañana, y nosotros trotamos suavemente para calentar. Yo troto con el caballo en el campo, y ellos trotan cinco kilómetros al día. Trotar is part of everyday life, because trot, to jog is something people do in work, at home and with friends, in the present, the past and the future.
Common mistakes with trotar
These are the errors learners actually make with trotar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo trota por el parque cada mañana.” Right: “Yo troto por el parque cada mañana.” Why: The person matters: trota is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is troto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo troto con el caballo en el campo.” Right: “Ayer yo troté con el caballo en el campo.” Why: The present and the preterite are different tenses: troto is happening now, while troté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
Wrong: “Treating trotar and correr as identical in every context.” Right: “Trotar means to trot, to jog, while correr means to run.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: trotar fits sentences such as Troto por el parque cada mañana, while correr belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy trotado con el caballo en el campo.” Right: “Yo he trotado con el caballo en el campo.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he trotado, has trotado, ha trotado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo troté cinco kilómetros al día todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo trotaba cinco kilómetros al día todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (trotaba), not the preterite. The preterite (troté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: trotar in use
Ten questions on trotar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ por el parque cada mañana.” (You trot in the park every morning.)
- (a) trotáis
- (b) troto
- (c) trotas
Answer: trotáis — The vosotros/as form of trotar in the present tense is trotáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ con el caballo en el campo.” (They trot with the horse in the field.)
- (a) trotas
- (b) trotan
- (c) troto
Answer: trotan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of trotar in the present tense is trotan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ por el parque cada mañana.” (Yesterday I trotted in the park every morning.)
- (a) trotaste
- (b) trotó
- (c) troté
Answer: troté — In the preterite, the yo form of trotar is troté.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Antes, él ______ con el caballo en el campo.” (Before, he used to trot with the horse in the field.)
- (a) trotaba
- (b) troto
- (c) trotabas
Answer: trotaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of trotar is trotaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Mañana, nosotros ______ cinco kilómetros al día.” (Tomorrow we will trot five kilometres a day.)
- (a) trotarás
- (b) trotaremos
- (c) trotaré
Answer: trotaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of trotar is trotaremos.
6. What does trotar mean in English?
- (a) to trot, to jog
- (b) to move, to transfer
- (c) to run
Answer: to trot, to jog — Trotar means “to trot, to jog”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo trota por el parque cada mañana.
- (b) Ellos trota con el caballo en el campo.
- (c) Yo troto por el parque cada mañana.
Answer: Yo troto por el parque cada mañana. — “Yo troto por el parque cada mañana.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I trot in the park every morning.” in Spanish?
- (a) Mi padre trota suavemente para calentar.
- (b) Troto por el parque cada mañana.
- (c) Trotan por el parque cada mañana.
Answer: Troto por el parque cada mañana. — “Troto por el parque cada mañana.” is the correct translation.
9. What is the nosotros form of trotar in the present tense?
- (a) troto
- (b) trotas
- (c) trotamos
Answer: trotamos — The nosotros form is trotamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Mañana, nosotros trotaremos cinco kilómetros al día.
- (b) Troto por el parque cada mañana.
- (c) Ayer, yo troté por el parque cada mañana.
Answer: Troto por el parque cada mañana. — “Troto por el parque cada mañana.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I trot in the park every morning' in Spanish?
Say 'Troto por el parque cada mañana'. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Troto por el parque cada mañana todos los días'.
How do you say 'He trots with the horse in the field' in Spanish?
Say 'Él trota con el caballo en el campo'. The subject comes first, and the verb agrees with it: él takes trota.
What is the difference between trotar and correr?
Trotar means to trot, to jog, while correr means to run. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use trotar when you mean to trot, to jog, as in 'Troto por el parque cada mañana', and use correr for to run.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of trotar — every tense of trotar in one place.
- Trotar 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 trotar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of trotar until they are automatic.