Today’s Spanish word of the day is “tratar”.
It’s a verb that can translate as “to try”, “to treat”, or “to deal with” depending on the context.
Some common constructions using the word “tratar” include the following:
- Tratar de + verb – Try to do something.
- Example: Estoy tratando de dormir. – I’m trying to sleep.
- Se trata de… – It’s about…
- Example: El libro se trata de una familia en los años 80. – The book is about a family in the 80s.
The word “tratar” comes from Latin tractare, meaning “to manage” or “to handle”. This is also the root of several English words including “treat”, “tract” and “treaty”.
Example sentences
Voy a tratar de aprender español.
I’m going to try to learn Spanish.
Trató de escapar por la ventana, pero era demasiado tarde.
He tried to escape through the window, but it was too late.
El informe trata sobre el impacto económico de la pandemia.
The report is about the economic impact of the pandemic.
Tratar de entender a los humanos debe ser agotador para los extraterrestres.
Trying to understand humans must be exhausting for aliens.
¿De qué se trata todo esto?
What’s this all about?
