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December 20, 2021 by Olga Put Spanish Grammar 0 comments

Traer vs Llevar: What’s the Difference?

Do you already know when to use traer vs llevar? Traer vs llevar are two verbs that are often confused by Spanish learners. 

In the following situation, which sentence is correct? 

Juan is at his house, and he notices that Ana has left her books there. He calls Ana right away and says:

Dejaste tus libros en mi casa. ¿Te las llevo mañana?
You left your books at my house. Shall I bring them to you tomorrow?

OR

Dejaste tus libros en mi casa. ¿Te las traigo mañana?
You left your books at my house. Shall I bring them to you tomorrow?

As you can see the English translation is exactly the same, but only one Spanish sentence is correct. 

If you’re not sure which one, keep reading to learn the difference!

traer vs llevar

Traer vs Llevar – The Basics

Many people think that traer vs llevar is like “take” vs “bring.” The translation works in some cases but not always, as you’ve seen. To avoid confusion, you shouldn’t rely on this method.

What you need to take into consideration is the location of the speaker and where the object you’re talking about is going to be moved. To simplify things in the beginning, let’s assume the following distinction between traer vs llevar:

  • traer – movement from there to here, towards the speaker
  • llevar – movement from here to there, away from the speaker

Let’s now see both of these verbs in detail.

The Verb Traer – From There to Here

The verb traer translates to “to bring.” It means to bring something from there to here, in the direction of the speaker. If you can add the word aquí (here) and it fits, you’ve chosen the correct verb.

¿Me puedes traer mi falda del armario?
Can you bring me my skirt from the closet?

Nos puede traer el menú, por favor.
Can you bring us the menu, please?

El Santa Claus trae los regalos desde el Polo Norte.
Santa Clause brings the presents from the North Pole.

traer vs llevar

Before I give you more examples, let’s take a look at the conjugation of the verb traer in present, past, and future tenses. 

Present Tense Conjugation Chart: Traer

Traer is irregular in the first person of the present tense conjugation. 

SpanishEnglish
yo traigoI bring
tú traesyou bring
él, ella, usted traehe, she, it brings (fml. you bring)
nosotros traemoswe bring
ustedes traenyou bring
ellos, ellas traenthey bring

Preterite Tense Conjugation Chart: Traer

The verb traer  is irregular in all forms of the Spanish preterite tense.

SpanishEnglish
yo trajeI brought
tú trajisteyou brought
él, ella, usted trajohe, she, it brought (fml. you brought)
nosotros trajimoswe brought
ustedes trajeronyou brought
ellos, ellas trajeronthey brought

Future Tense Conjugation Chart: Traer  

You’ll be happy to hear that traer is regular in all forms of the Spanish future simple tense. 

SpanishEnglish
yo traeréI will bring
tú traerásyou will bring
él, ella, traeráhe, she, it will bring (fml. you will bring)
nosotros traeremoswe will bring
ustedes traerányou will bring
ellos, ellas traeránthey will bring

Example Sentences in Spanish

Nuestros hijos nos traen mucha alegría.
Our children bring us so much joy.

¿Qué te trae por aquí?
What brings you here?

Te traje un regalo.
I brought you a gift.

¿No me trajiste nada?
You didn’t bring me anything?

¿Qué me traerás de tu viaje?
What will you bring me from your trip?

Trae a tus amigos, ¿va?
Bring your friends, okay?

Spanish example

The Verb Llevar – From Here to There

The verb llevar translates to “to take,” but not always, so you have to be careful. It means to take something from here to there, away from the speaker. If you can add the word allí (there) and it fits, you have the correct verb.

¿Quieres llevar el libro a tu casa?
Do you want to take the book home?

Llévame contigo, por favor.
Take me with you, please.

Necesito llevar a mi hijo al doctor.
I need to take my son to the doctor.

¿Te llevo tu dinero mañana?
Shall I bring you your money tomorrow?

Before I give you more examples, let’s look at the conjugation of the verb llevar in present, past, and future tenses like I showed you with the verb traer.

Present Tense Conjugation Chart: Llevar

Llevar is a regular –ar verb in  present tense conjugation. 

SpanishEnglish
yo llevoI take
tú llevasyou take
él, ella, usted llevahe, she, it takes (fml. you take)
nosotros llevamoswe take
ustedes llevanyou take
ellos, ellas llevanthey take

Preterite Tense Conjugation Chart: Llevar

The verb llevar  is regular in all forms of the Spanish preterite tense.

SpanishEnglish
yo llevéI took
tú llevasteyou took
él, ella, usted llevóhe, she, it took (fml. you took)
nosotros llevamoswe took
ustedes llevaronyou took
ellos, ellas llevaronthey took

Future Tense Conjugation Chart: Llevar  

Good news! Llevar is also regular in all forms of the Spanish future simple tense. 

SpanishEnglish
yo llevaréI will take
tú llevarásyou will take
él, ella, llevaráhe, she, it will take (fml. you will take)
nosotros llevaremoswe will take
ustedes llevarányou will take
ellos, ellas llevaránthey will take

Example Sentence in Spanish

Te lo llevo mañana.
I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.

Puedes llevárselo, por favor.
You can take it, please.

Mi padre me llevó a ver el mar.
My father took me to see the sea.

Nos llevaron a la oficina del director.
They took us to the principal’s office.

Tú llevarás los refrescos a la fiesta de Ana y yo el pastel.
You’ll bring the refreshments to Anna’s party and I’ll bring the cake.

Nosotros llevaremos las papas.
We’ll bring the potatoes.

Spanish example

Check Your Learning

Have you noticed how Spanish is stricter about the difference between traer vs. llevar  than English is about “bring” vs “take”? In English, you often use “to bring” when you really should be using “to take.”

Now, do you remember the challenge from the beginning of this article? Which of the two sentences is correct in Spanish in terms of traer vs llevar?

Dejaste tus libros en mi casa. ¿Te las llevo mañana?
You left your books at my house. Shall I bring them to you tomorrow?

Dejaste tus libros en mi casa. ¿Te las traigo mañana?
You left your books at my house. Shall I bring them to you tomorrow?

Yes, it’s the first sentence that is correct. The movement is from here (Juan’s house) to  there (Anna’s house), away from the speaker.

Traer vs. Llevar Quiz

Quiz CTA

I think you’re ready for the quiz on traer vs llevar. Choose which of the two verbs is correct in each situation.

1. Te ________ tus llaves mañana.

Correct! Wrong!

2. Me puedes ________ mi estuche.

Correct! Wrong!

3. No me ________ nada de la cafetería, ya desayuné.

Correct! Wrong!

4. ________ al final del mundo.

Correct! Wrong!

5. Pueden ________ sus perros a la excursión.

Correct! Wrong!

6. Creo que Santa no me ________ nada este año.

Correct! Wrong!

7. Mañana, ________ un regalo conjunto a la fiesta de Pedro.

Correct! Wrong!

8. ¿________ el perro al veterinario?

Correct! Wrong!

9. ¿________ tus apuntes para la clase de hoy?

Correct! Wrong!

10. Mesero, ¿me ________ el menú por favor?

Correct! Wrong!

Traer vs. Llevar
Wow, you've mastered llevar vs traer in Spanish! Good job!

Congrats you're a pro

You've got a solid understanding of how to use the verbs 'traer' and 'llevar', and the quality of your Spanish conversations are exploding through the roof!
You've almost mastered llevar vs traer in Spanish. Your consistent practice is leading to better results!

you're getting better

As you keep up your hard work and practice, you're starting to understand better how to use llever vs traer. For more study materials, keep up-to-date with our newest published blog posts at Homeschool Spanish Academy. *YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! You can do it!* Do you prefer learning with videos? Check out our YouTube channel Spanish Academy TV for the best Spanish learning content on the web!
Practice makes perfect! Keep on studying!

Keep on Studying

Your motivation to learn Spanish is an essential ingredient to success! If you're ready to take your Spanish to the next level and master the usage of 'llevar' and 'traer', then join us for a free Spanish class with one of our friendly, certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Sign up today!</a

Keep Practicing Traer vs Llevar

Great job! Your Spanish is now better than when you started reading the article. That’s progress! Keep up the rhythm, and you’ll get closer to fluency every single day.

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Ready to learn more Spanish grammar and vocabulary? Check these out!

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Olga Put
Olga Put
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
I'm a Spanish philologist, teacher, and freelance writer with a Master's degree in Humanities from Madrid. I speak Polish, Spanish, and English fluently, and want to get better in Portuguese and German. A lover of literature, and Mexican spicy cuisine, I've lived in Poland, Spain, and Mexico and I'm currently living and teaching in Madeira, Portugal.
Olga Put
Latest posts by Olga Put (see all)
  • 10 Ways Learning Spanish Can Improve Your Child’s Behavior - March 20, 2023
  • Equipping Your Child for Fluency: 8 Tips for Teaching Spanish - March 15, 2023
  • Llegar vs Llevar in Spanish: What’s the Difference? - March 12, 2023
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