Tratar de, intentar, tratarse de
Tratar de + infinitive = to try to: trato de hablar más español. Intentar means the same and is just as common. Se trata de = it's about / it's a matter of: se trata de practicar cada día. And tratar de tú / de usted = to address someone informally / formally.
Indicative tenses of tratar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | tratoI try |
|---|---|
| tú | tratasyou try |
| él/ella/usted | tratahe/she tries |
| nosotros/as | tratamoswe try |
| vosotros/as | tratáisyou all try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | tratanthey try |
Tratar de + infinitive = to try to: trato de entender.
Preterite indicative
| yo | tratéI tried |
|---|---|
| tú | tratasteyou tried |
| él/ella/usted | tratóhe/she tried |
| nosotros/as | tratamoswe tried |
| vosotros/as | tratasteisyou all tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | trataronthey tried |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | tratabaI used to try |
|---|---|
| tú | tratabasyou used to try |
| él/ella/usted | tratabahe/she used to try |
| nosotros/as | tratábamoswe used to try |
| vosotros/as | tratabaisyou all used to try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | tratabanthey used to try |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy tratandoI am trying |
|---|---|
| tú | estás tratandoyou are trying |
| él/ella/usted | está tratandohe/she is trying |
| nosotros/as | estamos tratandowe are trying |
| vosotros/as | estáis tratandoyou all are trying |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están tratandothey are trying |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a tratarI am going to try |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a trataryou are going to try |
| él/ella/usted | va a tratarhe/she is going to try |
| nosotros/as | vamos a tratarwe are going to try |
| vosotros/as | vais a trataryou all are going to try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a tratarthey are going to try |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | trataréI will try |
|---|---|
| tú | tratarásyou will try |
| él/ella/usted | trataráhe/she will try |
| nosotros/as | trataremoswe will try |
| vosotros/as | trataréisyou all will try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | trataránthey will try |
Conditional indicative
| yo | trataríaI would try |
|---|---|
| tú | trataríasyou would try |
| él/ella/usted | trataríahe/she would try |
| nosotros/as | trataríamoswe would try |
| vosotros/as | trataríaisyou all would try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | trataríanthey would try |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he tratadoI have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | has tratadoyou have tried |
| él/ella/usted | ha tratadohe/she has tried |
| nosotros/as | hemos tratadowe have tried |
| vosotros/as | habéis tratadoyou all have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han tratadothey have tried |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había tratadoI had tried |
|---|---|
| tú | habías tratadoyou had tried |
| él/ella/usted | había tratadohe/she had tried |
| nosotros/as | habíamos tratadowe had tried |
| vosotros/as | habíais tratadoyou all had tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían tratadothey had tried |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré tratadoI will have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás tratadoyou will have tried |
| él/ella/usted | habrá tratadohe/she will have tried |
| nosotros/as | habremos tratadowe will have tried |
| vosotros/as | habréis tratadoyou all will have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán tratadothey will have tried |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría tratadoI would have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías tratadoyou would have tried |
| él/ella/usted | habría tratadohe/she would have tried |
| nosotros/as | habríamos tratadowe would have tried |
| vosotros/as | habríais tratadoyou all would have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían tratadothey would have tried |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of tratar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | trate(that) I try |
|---|---|
| tú | trates(that) you try |
| él/ella/usted | trate(that) he/she tries |
| nosotros/as | tratemos(that) we try |
| vosotros/as | tratéis(that) you all try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | traten(that) they try |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | tratara(if) I tried |
|---|---|
| tú | trataras(if) you tried |
| él/ella/usted | tratara(if) he/she tried |
| nosotros/as | tratáramos(if) we tried |
| vosotros/as | tratarais(if) you all tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | trataran(if) they tried |
Future subjunctive
| yo | tratare(if) I try |
|---|---|
| tú | tratares(if) you try |
| él/ella/usted | tratare(if) he/she tries |
| nosotros/as | tratáremos(if) we try |
| vosotros/as | tratareis(if) you all try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | trataren(if) they try |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya tratado(that) I have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas tratado(that) you have tried |
| él/ella/usted | haya tratado(that) he/she has tried |
| nosotros/as | hayamos tratado(that) we have tried |
| vosotros/as | hayáis tratado(that) you all have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan tratado(that) they have tried |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera tratado(if) I had tried |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras tratado(if) you had tried |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera tratado(if) he/she had tried |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos tratado(if) we had tried |
| vosotros/as | hubierais tratado(if) you all had tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran tratado(if) they had tried |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere tratado(if) I will have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres tratado(if) you will have tried |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere tratado(if) he/she will have tried |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos tratado(if) we will have tried |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis tratado(if) you all will have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren tratado(if) they will have tried |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of tratar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | tratatry! |
|---|---|
| usted | tratetry! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | tratemoslet's try! |
| vosotros/as | tratadtry! (you all) |
| ustedes | tratentry! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no tratesdon't try! |
|---|---|
| usted | no tratedon't try! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no tratemoslet's not try! |
| vosotros/as | no tratéisdon't try! (you all) |
| ustedes | no tratendon't try! (you all, formal) |
Practice tratar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and tratar.
How to use tratar
Trato de dormir más.
I'm trying to sleep more.
Me trataron muy bien.
They treated me very well.
La película trata de una familia.
The movie is about a family.
Se trata de practicar.
It's a matter of practicing.
¿Nos tratamos de tú?
Shall we use tú with each other?
Example sentences with tratar
- Trato de entenderte.I'm trying to understand you.
- ¿De qué trata el libro?What's the book about?
- Traté de llamarte.I tried to call you.
- Siempre nos trataba con respeto.He always treated us with respect.
- Trataré de llegar a tiempo.I'll try to arrive on time.
- ¿Tratarías de ayudarme?Would you try to help me?
- Trata de relajarte.Try to relax.
- He tratado de explicarlo.I've tried to explain it.
Verbs like tratar
Tratar follows the regular -ar pattern. Its synonym intentar is regular too. Probar (to try, taste) has a stem change: pruebo.
Frequently asked questions about tratar
Is tratar regular or irregular?
Tratar is completely regular. It follows the normal -ar pattern in every tense.
How do you conjugate tratar in the present tense?
trato, tratas, trata, tratamos, tratáis, tratan.
Tratar de or intentar?
Both mean "to try to": trato de estudiar = intento estudiar. Intentar doesn't need de.
What does "se trata de" mean?
"It's about" or "it's a matter of": se trata de tu futuro (it's about your future).
What does "tratar de tú" mean?
To address someone with the informal tú instead of the formal usted.
What is the past participle of tratar?
The past participle is tratado and the gerund is tratando. Tratado also means "treaty".
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