Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Bring in Spanish: Traer vs. Llevar and How to Get It Right
Traer · verb · trah-EHR
Bring in Spanish is traer when the movement is toward the speaker, and llevar when it is away from the speaker. English collapses both into 'bring,' but Spanish keeps the directional distinction — similar to 'come' vs. 'go.'
Two syllables: trah-EHR. Stress falls on the second syllable. Traer is irregular in several tenses: yo traigo (present), traje (preterite), traiga (subjunctive).
¿Puedes traer pan de la tienda?
Can you bring bread from the store?
Bring in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for bring, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| traer | bring | trah-EHR | Default, widely understood |
| llevar | bring | bring there / take (away from speaker) |
How Native Speakers Use Traer
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Asking someone to bring something here
Tráeme un vaso de agua, por favor.
Bring me a glass of water, please.
Traer is used because the water is moving toward the speaker.
Offering to bring something to someone else's place
¿Quieres que te lleve algo de comer?
Do you want me to bring you something to eat?
The speaker is moving away to the listener's location, so llevar is correct, not traer.
Talking about what you brought to a party
Traje una botella de vino a la cena.
I brought a bottle of wine to the dinner.
Traje (preterite of traer) is used because the speaker is at the dinner location recounting what they brought.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Traer
Using traer when you should use llevar
Incorrect: Voy a traerte el libro a tu casa mañana.
Correct: Voy a llevarte el libro a tu casa mañana.
If you are going to someone else's location, you are moving away from yourself — use llevar. Traer would only be correct if you were already at their house.
Conjugating traer as traigo incorrectly
Incorrect: Yo trao los documentos todos los días.
Correct: Yo traigo los documentos todos los días.
The yo form of traer has an irregular -igo ending: traigo. This pattern also appears in caer → caigo and oír → oigo.
Lock in Bring Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Traer used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using traer in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear ¿Puedes traer pan de la tienda? while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
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Common Questions About Bring in Spanish
- How do you say bring in Spanish?
- Bring toward the speaker is traer (trah-EHR). Bring away from the speaker (or take) is llevar. ¿Me traes un café? means 'Can you bring me a coffee?' ¿Le llevo flores? means 'Should I bring her flowers?'
- What is the difference between traer and llevar?
- Traer moves something toward the speaker's location: Tráeme el libro (bring me the book — I am here). Llevar moves something away: Llévale el libro (bring/take the book to him — he is over there). Think of it as the come/go distinction applied to carrying.
- How do you conjugate traer in the past tense?
- Traer is irregular in the preterite: yo traje, tú trajiste, él trajo, nosotros trajimos, ellos trajeron. Note the j replaces the vowel pattern — this is a common irregularity shared by decir (dije) and conducir (conduje).