Inklingo

How to Say "i brought" in Spanish

English → Spanish

traje

/TRA-hey//'tɾaxe/

VerbA2General
Use 'traje' when the action emphasizes bringing an object or person *to* the speaker or *to* the place where the speaker is currently located or addressing someone.
A friendly, simple character holding out a steaming cup of coffee in a gesture of offering or presentation.

Examples

Te traje un regalo para tu cumpleaños.

I brought you a gift for your birthday.

Te traje un café.

I brought you a coffee.

Traje todos los documentos que me pediste.

I brought all the documents you asked me for.

No traje paraguas y ahora está lloviendo.

I didn't bring an umbrella and now it's raining.

An Irregular Past Tense Verb

The verb 'traer' (to bring) is irregular in the past tense. The stem changes to 'traj-'. So for 'I brought', it's 'traje'. For 'he/she brought', it's 'trajo'. Notice there are no accent marks on these forms!

Mixing up 'traer' (to bring) and 'llevar' (to take)

Mistake: “When you arrive at a friend's party, you might say: 'Llevé el postre.' (I took the dessert.)”

Correction: The correct way is: 'Traje el postre.' (I brought the dessert.) Use 'traer' for movement towards the speaker, and 'llevar' for movement away from the speaker.

llevé

VerbA1General
Use 'llevé' when the action emphasizes carrying something *away* from the speaker's current location to a different destination, or when the speaker is already at that destination.

Examples

Llevé la basura al contenedor esta mañana.

I took the trash to the bin this morning.

Traje vs. Llevé

The most common mistake is using 'llevé' when you mean 'traje'. Remember, 'traje' is about bringing something *here* (to the speaker or current location), while 'llevé' is about taking something *there* (away from the speaker or to a destination).

Related Translations

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