What does tratar mean in English?

Tratar means "to try/treat" in English.

How do you conjugate tratar in Spanish?

Tratar is conjugated across all Spanish tenses including present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, subjunctive, and more. Each tense has specific conjugations for yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, and ellos/ustedes. You can see complete conjugation tables with audio pronunciations on this page.

What are common idiomatic expressions with tratar?

Common idiomatic expressions using tratar include: "tratar de" (to try to / to be about), "tratar con" (to deal with), "tratarse de" (to be about / to be a matter of). These expressions are frequently used in everyday Spanish conversation.

What should I know about using tratar?

Tratar is a regular -ar verb with multiple meanings

What verbs are related to tratar?

Verbs related to tratar include: tratarse, maltratar. These verbs share similar meanings, stems, or conjugation patterns.

How do you use tratar in a sentence?

Example: "Trato de hacer ejercicio todos los días." which means "I try to exercise every day." in English.

What are synonyms for tratar?

Spanish synonyms for tratar include: intentar, procurar. The exact synonym to use depends on the context and specific meaning intended.

Tratar

to try/treat

🎯

Infinitive (infinitivo)

Base form of the verb

tratar

🏃

Gerund (gerundio)

Present participle (-ing form)

tratando

📋

Past Participle

Used in compound tenses

tratado

Simple Tenses

⚡

Present Indicative (presente de indicativo)

Present actions and habitual activities

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	trato I try/treat	I try/treat
tú	tratas you try/treat	you try/treat
él/ella/usted	trata he/she/you try/treats	he/she/you try/treats
nosotros	tratamos we try/treat	we try/treat
vosotros	tratáis you all try/treat	you all try/treat
ellos/ustedes	tratan they/you all try/treat	they/you all try/treat

🕰️

Imperfect Indicative (imperfecto de indicativo)

Ongoing past actions and descriptions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	trataba I used to try/treat	I used to try/treat
tú	tratabas you used to try/treat	you used to try/treat
él/ella/usted	trataba he/she/you used to try/treat	he/she/you used to try/treat
nosotros	tratábamos we used to try/treat	we used to try/treat
vosotros	tratabais you all used to try/treat	you all used to try/treat
ellos/ustedes	trataban they/you all used to try/treat	they/you all used to try/treat

📅

Preterit (pretérito)

Completed past actions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	traté I try/treated	I try/treated
tú	trataste you try/treated	you try/treated
él/ella/usted	trató he/she/you try/treated	he/she/you try/treated
nosotros	tratamos we try/treated	we try/treated
vosotros	tratasteis you all try/treated	you all try/treated
ellos/ustedes	trataron they/you all try/treated	they/you all try/treated

🔮

Future (futuro)

Future actions and intentions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	trataré I will try/treat	I will try/treat
tú	tratarás you will try/treat	you will try/treat
él/ella/usted	tratará he/she/you will try/treat	he/she/you will try/treat
nosotros	trataremos we will try/treat	we will try/treat
vosotros	trataréis you all will try/treat	you all will try/treat
ellos/ustedes	tratarán they/you all will try/treat	they/you all will try/treat

🎯

Conditional (potencial simple)

Hypothetical and conditional actions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	trataría I would try/treat	I would try/treat
tú	tratarías you would try/treat	you would try/treat
él/ella/usted	trataría he/she/you would try/treat	he/she/you would try/treat
nosotros	trataríamos we would try/treat	we would try/treat
vosotros	trataríais you all would try/treat	you all would try/treat
ellos/ustedes	tratarían they/you all would try/treat	they/you all would try/treat

💭

Present Subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo)

Subjective present actions and desires

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	trate that I try/treat	that I try/treat
tú	trates that you try/treat	that you try/treat
él/ella/usted	trate that he/she/you try/treat	that he/she/you try/treat
nosotros	tratemos that we try/treat	that we try/treat
vosotros	tratéis that you all try/treat	that you all try/treat
ellos/ustedes	traten that they/you all try/treat	that they/you all try/treat

🌙

Imperfect Subjunctive (imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective past actions and hypothetical situations

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	tratara or tratase that I try/treated	that I try/treated
tú	trataras or tratases that you try/treated	that you try/treated
él/ella/usted	tratara or tratase that he/she/you try/treated	that he/she/you try/treated
nosotros	tratáramos or tratásemos that we try/treated	that we try/treated
vosotros	tratarais or trataseis that you all try/treated	that you all try/treated
ellos/ustedes	trataran or tratasen that they/you all try/treated	that they/you all try/treated

Compound Tenses

✅

Present Perfect (perfecto de indicativo)

Actions completed recently or with present relevance

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	he tratado I have try/treated	I have try/treated
tú	has tratado you have try/treated	you have try/treated
él/ella/usted	ha tratado he/she/you have try/treated	he/she/you have try/treated
nosotros	hemos tratado we have try/treated	we have try/treated
vosotros	habéis tratado you all have try/treated	you all have try/treated
ellos/ustedes	han tratado they/you all have try/treated	they/you all have try/treated

⏪

Pluperfect Indicative (pluscuamperfecto de indicativo)

Actions completed before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	había tratado I had try/treated	I had try/treated
tú	habías tratado you had try/treated	you had try/treated
él/ella/usted	había tratado he/she/you had try/treated	he/she/you had try/treated
nosotros	habíamos tratado we had try/treated	we had try/treated
vosotros	habíais tratado you all had try/treated	you all had try/treated
ellos/ustedes	habían tratado they/you all had try/treated	they/you all had try/treated

📍

Preterit Perfect (pretérito anterior)

Actions completed immediately before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	hube tratado I had try/treated	I had try/treated
tú	hubiste tratado you had try/treated	you had try/treated
él/ella/usted	hubo tratado he/she/you had try/treated	he/she/you had try/treated
nosotros	hubimos tratado we had try/treated	we had try/treated
vosotros	hubisteis tratado you all had try/treated	you all had try/treated
ellos/ustedes	hubieron tratado they/you all had try/treated	they/you all had try/treated

🎊

Future Perfect (futuro perfecto)

Actions that will be completed by a future time

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	habré tratado I will have try/treated	I will have try/treated
tú	habrás tratado you will have try/treated	you will have try/treated
él/ella/usted	habrá tratado he/she/you will have try/treated	he/she/you will have try/treated
nosotros	habremos tratado we will have try/treated	we will have try/treated
vosotros	habréis tratado you all will have try/treated	you all will have try/treated
ellos/ustedes	habrán tratado they/you all will have try/treated	they/you all will have try/treated

🔄

Conditional Perfect (potencial compuesto)

Actions that would have been completed under certain conditions

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	habría tratado I would have try/treated	I would have try/treated
tú	habrías tratado you would have try/treated	you would have try/treated
él/ella/usted	habría tratado he/she/you would have try/treated	he/she/you would have try/treated
nosotros	habríamos tratado we would have try/treated	we would have try/treated
vosotros	habríais tratado you all would have try/treated	you all would have try/treated
ellos/ustedes	habrían tratado they/you all would have try/treated	they/you all would have try/treated

💫

Subjunctive Present Perfect (perfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective actions completed in relation to the present

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	haya tratado that I have try/treated	that I have try/treated
tú	hayas tratado that you have try/treated	that you have try/treated
él/ella/usted	haya tratado that he/she/you have try/treated	that he/she/you have try/treated
nosotros	hayamos tratado that we have try/treated	that we have try/treated
vosotros	hayáis tratado that you all have try/treated	that you all have try/treated
ellos/ustedes	hayan tratado that they/you all have try/treated	that they/you all have try/treated

🌌

Subjunctive Past Perfect (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Subjective actions completed before another past action

Person	Conjugation	English
yo	hubiera tratado that I had try/treated	that I had try/treated
tú	hubieras tratado that you had try/treated	that you had try/treated
él/ella/usted	hubiera tratado that he/she/you had try/treated	that he/she/you had try/treated
nosotros	hubiéramos tratado that we had try/treated	that we had try/treated
vosotros	hubierais tratado that you all had try/treated	that you all had try/treated
ellos/ustedes	hubieran tratado that they/you all had try/treated	that they/you all had try/treated

❗

Commands (imperativo)

Commands and direct orders

Person	Command	English
tú	trata	try/treat! (you)
usted	trate	try/treat! (you formal)
nosotros	tratemos	let's try/treat!
vosotros	tratad	try/treat! (you all)
ustedes	traten	try/treat! (you all)

🚫

Negative Commands (imperativo negativo)

Negative commands and prohibitions

Person	Command	English
tú	no trates	don't try/treat! (you)
usted	no trate	don't try/treat! (you formal)
nosotros	no tratemos	let's not try/treat!
vosotros	no tratéis	don't try/treat! (you all)
ustedes	no traten	don't try/treat! (you all)

More About "tratar"

Idiomatic Expressions

tratar de

to try to / to be about

💡 Attempting to do something or describing a topic

tratar con

to deal with

💡 Interacting with people or handling situations

tratarse de

to be about / to be a matter of

💡 Identifying the subject or nature of something

tratar bien/mal

to treat well/badly

💡 Describing how someone is treated

no tener trato

to have no dealings with

💡 Avoiding contact or interaction

Examples in Context

Trato de hacer ejercicio todos los días.

I try to exercise every day.

Present

El libro trata de la historia de España.

The book is about the history of Spain.

Present

Me trataron muy bien en el hotel.

They treated me very well at the hotel.

Preterite

¿De qué se trata la película?

What is the movie about?

Present

He tratado de llamarte varias veces.

I have tried to call you several times.

Present Perfect

Related Verbs

tratarse(to be about, concern)

reflexive form - to be about/concern

maltratar(to mistreat)

compound - to mistreat

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

intentar(to try, attempt)

When tratar means "to try"

procurar(to try, endeavor)

More formal for "to try"

Antonyms:

maltratar(to mistreat)

Usage Notes

•Tratar is a regular -ar verb with multiple meanings
•Main meanings: to treat (people/things), to try (with "de"), to be about (a topic)
•"Tratar de" + infinitive means "to try to": tratar de entender (to try to understand)
•"Tratarse de" means "to be about": se trata de amor (it's about love)
•Can mean medical treatment: tratar una enfermedad (to treat an illness)
•Used for interpersonal treatment: tratar bien/mal (to treat well/badly)
•"Tratar con" means "to deal with": tratar con clientes (to deal with clients)
•Common question: "¿De qué se trata?" (What is it about?)

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Tratar

Simple Tenses

Compound Tenses

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