Are you planning on taking someone to the movies today? Maybe not, but have you thought about using that word in Spanish? No? Well, you are in for a treat, because llevar is one of the most flexible and versatile words in this romance language.
Llevar can be translated into English as ‘‘to take,’’ ‘‘to carry,’’ ‘‘to have,’’ ‘‘to get along,’’ ‘‘to include,’’ ‘‘to drive,’’ ‘‘to bear,’’ ‘‘to last,’’ and ‘‘to wear,’’ among others. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, llevar can be used to refer to several different things.
From talking about what a person is wearing to discussing whether you get along with someone or not, it is a very useful word. Luckily, it is a regular verb, so there are no stem or spelling changes to watch out for.
Conjugations
Present
|
Yo |
llevo |
Nosotros |
llevamos |
|
Tú |
llevas |
Vosotros |
lleváis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
lleva |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llevan |
Example sentence:
Preparar una fiesta sorpresa lleva tiempo. - Throwing a surprise party takes time.
Imperfect
|
Yo |
llevaba |
Nosotros |
llevábamos |
|
Tú |
llevabas |
Vosotros |
llevabais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llevaba |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llevaban |
Example sentence:
Yo llevaba a los niños a la escuela, pero ya no puedo hacerlo. - I used to take the kids to school, but I can’t do it anymore.
Preterite
|
Yo |
llevé |
Nosotros |
llevamos |
|
Tú |
llevaste |
Vosotros |
llevabais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llevó |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llevaron |
Example sentence:
Ella me llevó de la mano hasta la mesa. - She took me by the hand to the table.
Notice how the conjugation for nosotros is similar in both the present and the preterite tense.
Future
|
Yo |
llevaré |
Nosotros |
llevaremos |
|
Tú |
llevarás |
Vosotros |
llevaréis |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llevará |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llevarán |
Example sentence:
Esta calle llevará el nombre de Carlos Rodríguez. - This street will bear the name of Carlos Rodríguez.
Conditional
|
Yo |
llevaría |
Nosotros |
llevaríamos |
|
Tú |
llevarías |
Vosotros |
llevaríais |
|
Él/Ella/Ud. |
llevaría |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds. |
llevarían |
Example sentence:
Pensé que te había visto, pero después recordé que tú nunca llevarías pantalones rojos. - I thought I’d seen you, but then I remembered you would never wear red pants.
Practical Uses of Llevar
- Tu padre llevó el carro a Lima. -- Your father drove the car to Lima.
- Tú sabes bien que no me llevo bien con tu primo. -- You know well I don’t get along with your cousin.
- No pudimos comprar el libro porque tu hermana no llevaba dinero. – We couldn’t buy the book because your sister didn’t have money on her.
- Mi novio me lleva tres años. -- My boyfriend is three years older than me.
- Ella llevaba a su bebé en brazos cuando me la encontré. -- She was carrying her baby in her arms when I bumped into her.
- Si voy a la reunión yo llevaré algunas galletas. -- If I go to the meeting, I’ll take some cookies.
Take it Easy
As a Spanish learner, llevar is definitely one of those words you want to have under your belt. Besides being extremely versatile, as it can be used in many situations, it is easy to conjugate. Maybe now you want to take yourself to the movies after learning about this awesome verb!