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llevar

yeh-VARʝeˈβaɾ

to carry

Also: to take
VerbA1regular ar
A person walking away while carrying a large, wrapped gift box in their arms, illustrating the action of transporting an object.
infinitivellevar
gerundllevando
past Participlellevado

📝 In Action

Siempre llevo un paraguas en mi mochila.

A1

I always carry an umbrella in my backpack.

¿Puedes llevar estos platos a la cocina, por favor?

A1

Can you take these plates to the kitchen, please?

El cartero lleva un paquete para ti.

A2

The mailman is carrying a package for you.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • llevar a cabo – to carry out, to execute
  • llevar la cuenta – to keep track/count

to wear

A friendly cartoon character clearly wearing a bright red jacket and a blue scarf.
infinitivellevar
gerundllevando
past Participlellevado

📝 In Action

Hoy llevo una chaqueta roja.

A1

Today I'm wearing a red jacket.

¿Por qué siempre llevas ese sombrero?

A2

Why do you always wear that hat?

Ella lleva el pelo corto ahora.

B1

She wears her hair short now.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • quitarse (to take off)

Common Collocations

  • llevar gafas – to wear glasses
  • llevar bigote – to have a mustache

to have been (doing something) for...

A gardener kneeling next to a small, thriving tree they have been nurturing, symbolizing the duration of an ongoing activity.
infinitivellevar
gerundllevando
past Participlellevado

📝 In Action

Llevo dos horas esperando el autobús.

B1

I've been waiting for the bus for two hours.

¿Cuánto tiempo llevas viviendo en Madrid?

B1

How long have you been living in Madrid?

Mi abuelo lleva 50 años casado.

B2

My grandfather has been married for 50 years.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • llevar tiempo haciendo algo – to have been doing something for a while

to get along with

Also: to take away
Two cheerful friends giving each other a high-five, symbolizing that they get along well.
infinitivellevarse
gerundllevándose
past Participlellevado

📝 In Action

Me llevo muy bien con mis compañeros de trabajo.

B1

I get along very well with my coworkers.

Los hermanos a veces se llevan mal.

B2

Siblings sometimes don't get along.

Alguien se llevó mi paraguas, no lo encuentro.

B2

Someone took my umbrella, I can't find it.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • congeniar (to get along)

Common Collocations

  • llevarse bien con alguien – to get along well with someone
  • llevarse como el perro y el gato – to fight like cats and dogs

Idioms & Expressions

  • dejarse llevar – to go with the flow, to get carried away

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedlleva
yollevo
túllevas
ellos/ellas/ustedesllevan
nosotrosllevamos
vosotroslleváis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedllevaba
yollevaba
túllevabas
ellos/ellas/ustedesllevaban
nosotrosllevábamos
vosotrosllevabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedllevó
yollevé
túllevaste
ellos/ellas/ustedesllevaron
nosotrosllevamos
vosotrosllevasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedlleve
yolleve
túlleves
ellos/ellas/ustedeslleven
nosotrosllevemos
vosotrosllevéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedllevara
yollevara
túllevaras
ellos/ellas/ustedesllevaran
nosotroslleváramos
vosotrosllevarais
View All Tenses & Moods →

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "llevar" in Spanish:

to carry→to take→to wear→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: llevar

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'llevar' to talk about how long something has been happening?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
llevadero(bearable, tolerable) — Adjective
sobrellevar(to endure, to cope with) — Verb
conllevar(to entail, to involve) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word `levāre`, which means 'to lighten, lift, or raise'. You can see the connection in its core meaning of lifting something to carry it somewhere.

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: levarItalian: levareFrench: lever

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the simplest way to remember the difference between 'llevar' and 'traer'?

Think about your location as the 'home base'. Use `llevar` for movement *away* from your home base (I'll take/llevar the cookies to your house). Use `traer` for movement *to* your home base (Please bring/traer cookies to my house). A good mnemonic is: **Llevar Leaves, Traer Comes Here.**

When do I use 'llevar' versus 'llevarse'?

Use plain `llevar` for its main meanings: to carry, to wear, or to talk about time. Use `llevarse` (the 'se' form) when you mean 'to get along with someone' (Me llevo bien con...) or when someone 'takes something away' for themselves, sometimes without permission (Alguien se llevó mi bolígrafo - Someone took my pen).