Trotar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of trotar — “to trot, to jog” 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 trotar 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. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Troto por el parque cada mañana. — “I trot in the park every morning.”
Present tense conjugation table: trotar
Every person of trotar in the present tense. The gerund is trotando and the past participle is trotado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | troto |
| tú | trotas |
| él/ella/Ud. | trota |
| nosotros/as | trotamos |
| vosotros/as | trotáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | trotan |
The gerund is trotando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy trotando” means the action of trotar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is trotado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he trotado” 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 trotar is used.
How the present of trotar is formed
The present of trotar is built from the stem trot 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 | troto |
| tú | -as | trotas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | trota |
| nosotros/as | -amos | trotamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | trotáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | trotan |
trotar is a regular -ar verb in the present, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is trot 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 trotar is trotando and the past participle is trotado. Both are the forms you need for the progressive and the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present of trotar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use trotar 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 trotar 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 trotar is no exception. The time words that go with it are todos los días, cada semana, siempre and a menudo.
Example: “Troto por el parque cada mañana.” — I trot in the park every morning.
2. A general fact
The present tense also states facts that are true in general, not just today. When you describe what trotar 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: “Trota con el caballo en el campo.” — He/she trots with the horse in the field.
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: “Troto cinco kilómetros al día.” — I trot five kilometres a day.
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 trotar follows the same rule as every other verb.
Example: “Mañana, nosotros trotamos suavemente para calentar.” — Tomorrow, we trot gently to warm up.
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: “¿Trotas con el caballo en el campo?” — Do you trot with the horse in the field?
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: “Troto por el parque cada mañana.” — I trot in the park every morning.
Preterite: “Troté por el parque cada mañana.” — I trotted in the park every morning.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Trota con el caballo en el campo.” — He/she trots with the horse in the field.
Preterite: “Trotó con el caballo en el campo.” — He/she trotted with the horse in the field.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Present: “Trotamos cinco kilómetros al día.” — We trot five kilometres a day.
Preterite: “Trotamos cinco kilómetros al día.” — We trotted five kilometres a day.
The present sentence describes what happens now or regularly; the preterite sentence reports one finished action in the past. That difference — now versus finished — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: trotar 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.
“Troto por el parque cada mañana.” — I trot in the park every morning.
“Trotas con el caballo en el campo.” — You trot with the horse in the field.
“Trota cinco kilómetros al día.” — He/she trots five kilometres a day.
“Trotamos suavemente para calentar.” — We trot gently to warm up.
“Trotáis por el parque cada mañana.” — You trot in the park every morning.
“Trotan con el caballo en el campo.” — They trot with the horse in the field.
“Troto cinco kilómetros al día.” — I trot five kilometres a day.
“Trota suavemente para calentar.” — He/she trots gently to warm up.
Common mistakes with trotar 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 trota por el parque cada mañana.” Right: “Yo troto por el parque cada mañana.” Why: Yo needs the yo form troto. The form trota belongs with él, ella or Ud.
Wrong: “Yo trotar con el caballo en el campo.” Right: “Yo troto con el caballo en el campo.” Why: The infinitive trotar cannot be the main verb of a sentence: it must be conjugated to agree with yo, giving troto.
Wrong: “Ayer yo troto con el caballo en el campo.” Right: “Ayer yo troté con el caballo en el campo.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to troté.
Wrong: “Ellos trota con el caballo en el campo.” Right: “Ellos trotan con el caballo en el campo.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form trotan. The singular trota belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Quiz: trotar 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: “Yo ___ por el parque cada mañana.”
- (a) troto
- (b) trotas
- (c) trota
Answer: troto — The yo form of trotar in the present is troto.
2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ con el caballo en el campo.”
- (a) troto
- (b) trota
- (c) trotas
Answer: trotas — The tú form of trotar in the present is trotas.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él/ella ___ cinco kilómetros al día.”
- (a) trotas
- (b) trota
- (c) troto
Answer: trota — The él/ella form of trotar in the present is trota.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros/as ___ suavemente para calentar.”
- (a) trotamos
- (b) troto
- (c) trotas
Answer: trotamos — The nosotros/as form of trotar in the present is trotamos.
5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros/as ___ por el parque cada mañana.”
- (a) troto
- (b) trotas
- (c) trotáis
Answer: trotáis — The vosotros/as form of trotar in the present is trotáis.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos/ellas ___ con el caballo en el campo.”
- (a) trotas
- (b) trotan
- (c) troto
Answer: trotan — The ellos/ellas form of trotar in the present is trotan.
7. What does trotar mean in English?
- (a) to trot, to jog
- (b) to run
- (c) to be about
Answer: to trot, to jog — Trotar means to trot, to jog.
8. Which sentence is in the present?
- (a) Troté por el parque cada mañana.
- (b) Trotaré por el parque cada mañana.
- (c) Troto por el parque cada mañana.
Answer: Troto por el parque cada mañana. — “Troto por el parque cada mañana.” is in the present. The other two use different tenses.
Frequently asked questions
Is trotar regular in the present?
Yes. Trotar is regular in the present: troto, trotas, trota, trotamos, trotáis and trotan. 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 trotar?
The gerund is trotando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy trotando. The past participle is trotado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he trotado.
What should I watch out for with trotar?
Trotar is fully regular: troté, trotaba, trotaré. In the present, the form to fix in your memory first is troto, because the yo form shows the stem pattern for the whole tense.
How do I practise trotar in the present?
Say the six forms in the table out loud with the examples above, then use the trotar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of trotar — every tense of trotar in one place.
- Trotar examples and quiz — more sentences with trotar and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish present guide — how the present works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Present tense conjugator — conjugate any verb in the present instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on trotar and other verbs.