Spanish grammar · Beginner
Llevar Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Llevar means to take / to carry (away from the speaker) or to wear. Fully regular -ar verb. Distinct from traer (to bring toward the speaker). Llevar + time = to have been doing for a duration.
Llevo el libro.
I'm taking the book.
What it is
Llevar means to take, to carry (away from the speaker), or to wear. Fully regular -ar verb in every tense. Distinct from traer (to bring toward the speaker). Llevar + time expression = to have been doing for X time.
In Llevo el libro (I'm taking the book), llevo is the regular yo present. Llevar implies the book is going somewhere else, away from where the speaker is.
How to spot it
Fully regular in every tense. Llevar a + place = take to that place. Llevar puesto = be wearing.
- ¿Qué llevas? — What are you wearing / carrying?
- Llevé el coche al taller. — I took the car to the shop.
- Llevamos dos años casados. — We've been married for two years.
Llevar / traer mirror ir / venir. Llevar = take (away). Traer = bring (here). Spanish is strict about this perspective.
Llevar Conjugation Quick Reference
Llevar at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | llevo | llevé | llevaba | llevaré | lleve |
| tú | llevas | llevaste | llevabas | llevarás | lleves |
| él/ella/Ud. | lleva | llevó | llevaba | llevará | lleve |
| nosotros | llevamos | llevamos | llevábamos | llevaremos | llevemos |
| vosotros | lleváis | llevasteis | llevabais | llevaréis | llevéis |
| ellos/Uds. | llevan | llevaron | llevaban | llevarán | lleven |
Common Llevar Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Llevar covers taking things places, wearing clothes, and (with time) duration:
Taking / Carrying Away
- Lleva el paquete a la oficina.
- Take the package to the office.
- Llevamos los niños al colegio.
- We're taking the kids to school.
- Llevé el coche al taller.
- I took the car to the shop.
Llevar a + place = take to that place. Movement away from speaker.
Wearing Clothes (Llevar Puesto)
- Lleva un vestido rojo.
- She's wearing a red dress.
- Llevo gafas.
- I wear glasses.
- ¿Qué llevas puesto?
- What are you wearing?
Llevar + clothing = wear. Synonym of vestir or tener puesto. Very common.
Duration (Llevar + Time)
- Llevo dos años estudiando.
- I've been studying for two years.
- Llevamos cinco años casados.
- We've been married for five years.
- ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas aquí?
- How long have you been here?
Llevar + time period + (gerundio / participle / aquí) = how long you've been doing something. Cleaner than hace + time.
Idioms, Llevar Bien / Mal
- Me llevo bien con mi hermano.
- I get along well with my brother.
- Se llevan fatal.
- They get along terribly.
- ¿Cómo te llevas con ella?
- How do you get along with her?
Reflexive llevarse bien / mal con = get along well / badly with. Standard phrase for describing relationships.
How to Conjugate Llevar Across Tenses
Present, Fully Regular -ar
All forms regular: llevo, llevas, lleva, llevamos, lleváis, llevan.
Yo llevo, tú llevas, él lleva, nosotros llevamos, vosotros lleváis, ellos llevan.
I take, you take, he takes, we take, you all take, they take.
No stem changes, textbook regular -ar.
Preterite / Imperfect / Future, Regular
Preterite: llevé, llevaste, llevó. Imperfect: llevaba, llevabas. Future: llevaré, llevarás. All fully regular.
Llevé el regalo. Antes llevaba traje al trabajo. Llevaré la lista.
I took the gift. Before, I used to wear a suit to work. I'll bring the list.
No irregularities anywhere, even simpler than llegar (which has -gué).
Llevar + Time, Duration Construction
Llevo + time period + gerundio / participle / location = I've been doing X for that long. Used instead of the present perfect.
Llevo dos años aquí. Llevamos casados cinco años. Llevo media hora esperando.
I've been here for two years. We've been married for five years. I've been waiting for half an hour.
Cleaner than the hace + time construction for ongoing duration. Hace dos años que estoy aquí = Llevo dos años aquí (same meaning).
Subjunctive, Regular
Present subjunctive: lleve, lleves, lleve, llevemos, llevéis, lleven.
Quiero que lleves la maleta.
I want you to take the suitcase.
All subjunctive forms regular.
Common Mistakes with Llevar Conjugation
Incorrect: Traigo el libro a tu casa. (when speaker is going to listener's location) — I'm bringing the book to your house. (but if speaker isn't at listener's house, use llevar)
Correct: Llevo el libro a tu casa. — I'm bringing the book to your house.
If you're at your own location and the listener is somewhere else, taking something to them = llevar. Traer = bringing it to where the listener already is at the moment of speaking.
Incorrect: Llevo aquí desde hace dos años. — I've been here for two years. (mixing constructions)
Correct: Llevo dos años aquí. / Estoy aquí desde hace dos años. — I've been here for two years.
Use llevar + time period directly (Llevo dos años aquí), or estar / hacer with desde hace (Estoy aquí desde hace dos años). Don't mix the two patterns.
Incorrect: Me llevo bien. — I get along well with my brother. (need con + person to specify)
Correct: Me llevo bien con mi hermano. — I get along well with my brother.
Llevarse bien needs con + person to specify who you get along with. On its own, the meaning is incomplete.
Llevar Across Every Tense
Fully regular -ar verb in every tense. No stem changes or spelling shifts.
Present (Regular)
Fully regular -ar.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Same regular pattern as habl-, cant-, trabaj-.
Preterite (Regular)
Fully regular -ar preterite.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Llevé el coche al taller = I took the car to the shop.
Imperfect (Regular)
Regular -ar imperfect.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Antes llevaba traje al trabajo = Before, I used to wear a suit to work.
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
All regular.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Past participle llevado is regular.
Llevar + Time, Duration Construction
Llevo + Time + Gerundio / Participle
Llevo + time period + gerundio (estudiando) or participle (casados) = I've been doing X for that long. The most idiomatic way to express ongoing duration in Spanish.
- Llevo dos años estudiando español.
- I've been studying Spanish for two years.
- Llevamos cinco años casados.
- We've been married for five years.
- Llevo media hora esperando.
- I've been waiting for half an hour.
Cleaner than hace + time. Use llevar when you want to emphasize the ongoing duration.
Llevo + Time + Sin
Llevo + time + sin + infinitive = I haven't done X for that long. Negative version of the construction.
- Llevo dos meses sin verla.
- I haven't seen her for two months.
- Llevamos años sin hablar.
- We haven't spoken for years.
Llevar + sin + inf is the standard for I haven't X-ed for Y time.
Llevar Conjugation FAQs
- What does llevar mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Llevar means to take / to carry (away from the speaker) or to wear. Used for taking things places (Llevo el libro a la oficina), wearing clothes (Llevo gafas), and expressing duration (Llevo dos años aquí = I've been here for two years).
- How does llevar conjugate in the present tense?
- Llevo, llevas, lleva, llevamos, lleváis, llevan. Fully regular -ar, no irregularities anywhere.
- What's the difference between llevar and traer?
- Llevar = take / carry (away from the speaker, to somewhere else). Traer = bring (toward where the speaker is). Llevo el libro a tu casa (I'm taking the book to your house, somewhere I'm not yet) vs. Te traigo el libro (I'm bringing you the book, going to where you are now).
- How do you say I've been doing X for Y time using llevar?
- Llevo + time + gerundio / participle. Llevo dos años estudiando = I've been studying for two years. Llevamos cinco años casados = We've been married for five years. Cleaner than the hace + time construction.
- How can I get better at conjugating llevar?
- Llevar is everyday vocabulary, carrying, wearing, duration. Exposure to llevo / llevé / llevamos in real contexts is the fastest path. Parrot's daily videos feature llevar constantly.