Using the Spanish Verb Dar

The Spanish verb dar (to give) is very useful, especially to ask and receive good things in life. It can be used in a very literal way to express the idea of giving all sort of things, concrete or abstract, and it's also used in many idiomatic expressions. Let's analyze a few examples:

Let's start with the basic meaning of dar. The imperative mode is a big favorite:

 

Señorita, la foto es suya. -¡Dame, dame la foto!

Miss, the picture is yours. -Give me, give me the photo!

Caption 56, Yago - 3 La foto

 Play Caption

 

Remember that the actual conjugated form of the verb here is only da (you give). However, in the imperative form it is very common to attach object pronouns to the verb forms, in effect using them as suffixes. In this case the pronoun me (to me) functions as the indirect object of the verb. It's also very common to also attach more than one pronoun, for example to substitute the direct object as well. In this case the direct object is la foto, a feminine noun. So Morena could have also simply said dámela (give it to me). If there were many fotos it would be dámelas (give them to me), and if we were talking about, let's say, zapatos (shoes), then it would be dámelos (give them to me). You know, it's just an important thing to learn. There is a saying in Spanish that goes, al que no habla, Dios no lo oye (he who doesn't speak, God won't hear).

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

The verb dar is also used to deal with abstract ideas of giving. For example, just as in English we can say something like "you give me a headache," a Spanish speakers would say me das dolor de cabeza. Spanish extends the use of dar even more, though, to express ideas for which English instead uses verbs such as "to produce," "to yield," or "to bear." 

 

Mil seiscientos cincuenta da el kilo y nos pesamos.

The kilo yields one thousand six hundred fifty and we weigh it.

Caption 8, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa

 Play Caption

 

Digamos en la costa, también da buenas frutas.

Let's say in the coast, it also produces good fruit.

Caption 18, Rafael T. - Guatemala Hermosa

 Play Caption

 

In fact, the list of uses of dar is quite extensive. You can learn many here and maybe try to find examples in our videos. We'll focus now on the use of dar in idiomatic expressions, where the meaning of dar (to give) is completely transformed into something very different. For example, dar is used to express that something happens: 

 

No sé, se dio así.

I don't know, it happened that way.

Caption 24, Yago - 9 Recuperación

 Play Caption

 

There is also the expression darse cuenta (to realize):

 

Mirala bien y te das cuenta que es una minita.

Look at her closely and you'll realize that it's a chick.

Caption 10, Muñeca Brava - 2 Venganza

 Play Caption

 

The expression se me da por is used to express the idea of getting into the habit or liking of doing something. For example:

 

Papá, mira la casualidad,

Dad, look what a coincidence,

ahora que se me da por caminar te encuentro siempre.

now that I got into the habit of walking, I always run into you.

Captions 56-57, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión

 Play Caption

 

On the other hand, when someone says that something se le da, it means that something comes natural to the person, that it is a natural talent he or she has:

 

Que se me dan bastante bien los idiomas.

That I'm pretty good at learning languages.

Caption 4, Club de las ideas - Pasión por el golf 

 Play Caption

 

Or not...

 

A mí no se me da eso de andar en reversa

I'm not good at driving in reverse

Caption 5, Gloria Trevi - Cinco minutos

 Play Caption

 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

 

One last example. From the expression darse por vencido (to give up, literally "to give oneself as defeated") comes the useful question-and-answer pair, ¿Te das? - Me doy. You must learn both if you like adivinanzas (riddles). This is how you use them:

-Oro parece, plata no es. ¿Qué fruta es? / -It looks like gold, it's not silver. What fruit it is?
-No sé. Me doy. / -I don't know. I give up.
-¿Te das? / -Do you give up
Sí, me doy! / -Yes, I give up!
Fácil. Es el pláta-no. / Easy. It's the banana.

 

Grammar

Se Trata de Tratar [It's About Trying]

In one of our latest videos, Raquel tells us about a very traditional festival in Spain: The "Fallas." When she explains what these "Fallas" are, she uses an expression that is worth exploring:

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

 

Se trata de unas figuras de gran tamaño

It's about some large-sized figures

hechas de cartón y de madera.

made of cardboard and wood.

Captions 26-27, Raquel - Fiestas de España

 Play Caption


The verb tratar means "to treat," "to try" or "attempt," but also "to deal with" and, like in the previous example, "to be about." Let's review some examples to master this useful verb.

 When tratar means "to treat," is used the same way as in English:
 

¿Podrías tratarlo un poco mejor a tu hijo, no?

You could treat your son a little better, no?

Caption 31, Muñeca Brava - 1 Piloto

 Play Caption


In Spanish, however, this verb has many different applications. For example:
 

Necesitamos tratarnos.

We need to get to know each other.

Caption 18, El Ausente - Acto 3

 Play Caption

 

Bueno, a Felipe he tenido el privilegio de tratarlo.

Well, I have had the privilege to know Felipe.

Caption 38, Felipe Calderón - Publicidad

 Play Caption

 

Encerrarlos y maltratarlos es una cosa muy cruel.

To lock them up and abuse them is a very cruel thing.

Caption 33, Kikirikí - Animales

 Play Caption

 

Para tratar a alguien de "tú",

To address someone with "tú,"

tienes que tener una cierta cercanía...

you have to have a certain closeness...

Captions 22-23, Fundamentos del Español - 6 - Tú y Usted

 Play Caption

 

Me gusta tratar con... con el público,

I like dealing with... with the public,

con las personas que vienen.

with the people who come.

Captions 22-23, El Instituto Cervantes - Jefa de biblioteca

 Play Caption

 

Just as, in English, you can't use the verb "to treat" to translate the previous examples, in Spanish you can't use the verb tratar to express an idea such as "to treat someone to something." Instead you have to use the verbs invitar or convidar (to invite, to share):

 

Ni siquiera te convidé un café.

I didn't even treat you to a cup of coffee.

Caption 55, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema

 Play Caption

 

Additionally, tratar can also mean "to try or attempt":
 

Pero en Andalucía varias iniciativas tratan de protegerlo.

But in Andalucia several initiatives attempt to protect it.

Caption 26, Club de las ideas - Batería de breves

 Play Caption


But don't ever try to use the verb tratar in the same way we use "to try" in expressions such as "try the food" or "try on the jeans." For that, Spanish uses another verb: probar. So, you must say prueba el pastel ("try the cake"), and me probé los pantalones ("I tried on the jeans") but never ever: trata el pastel or me traté los pantalones.

Tratar de (to try to) looks like tratarse de (to be about) but has a different meaning and it's not reflexive. Here is another example of tratarse de, using negation:
 

Ya ves que el juego no se trata de vestir mejor

You see that this game is not about dressing better

Caption 24, Hector Montaner - Apariencias

 Play Caption


These two examples are interesting. The same expression is used in Spanish, but English requires the use of different wording:
 

Es posible que alguna vez haya pensado usted,

It's possible that some time you have thought,

al escuchar el nombre del famoso arqueólogo

when hearing the name of the famous archeologist

Federico Kauffman Doig,

Federico Kauffman Doig,

que se trata de un investigador extranjero.

that he is a foreign researcher.

Captions 9-11, Federico Kauffman Doig - Arqueólogo

 Play Caption

 

Y más aún si se trata de ti

And even more so when it's related to you

Caption 7, Gloria Trevi - Cinco minutos

 Play Caption

 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Do you want to find more examples of the verb tratar in our catalog? You can use the search tool at the top of the screen in the Videos tab of our site to do so. Maybe you can find a use of tratar that we haven't discussed here. ¡Todo se trata de tratar, verdad?! (It's all about trying, right?). If you find some, tweet us @yabla or share them with us at support@yabla.com.