llevar
to carry
To carry or take something somewhere
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
visual
lever
to lift
+
-ar
verb suffix
Llevar means to carry and is related to the English word lever0 — you lift0 something up before you carry it.
llevar
to carry, to take, to bring
To carry or move something from one place to another.
¿Puedes llevar estas cajas al garaje?Can you carry these boxes to the garage?
Voy a llevar flores a la fiestaI'm going to bring flowers to the party
to take, to give a ride (a person)
When you carry a person somewhere, you take them there.
El médico llevó al niño al hospitalThe doctor took the child to the hospital
Te llevo a la estación si quieresI can give you a ride to the station if you want
to wear (clothing)
When you carry clothing on your body, you're wearing it.
Ella siempre lleva sombrero en veranoShe always wears a hat in summer
¿Por qué llevas abrigo si hace calor?Why are you wearing a coat if it's hot?
to take (time or effort)
Saying a task "carries" a certain amount of time means that time is part of what the task consists of.
Este proyecto lleva mucho tiempoThis project takes a lot of time
Solo lleva diez minutos rellenar el formularioIt only takes ten minutes to fill out the form
to have been (time spent in a state)
You've been carrying a situation for a certain amount of time — you've been in it that long.
Llevo tres años viviendo en MadridI've been living in Madrid for three years
¿Cuánto tiempo llevas esperando?How long have you been waiting?
to handle, to run, to manage (to manage or run)
To carry the weight of running something — a business, finances, a project.
Mi madre lleva la contabilidad de la empresaMy mother handles the company's accounting
Ella lleva el restaurante sola desde hace añosShe has been running the restaurant alone for years
to lead to (to lead somewhere)
A path or road that carries you to a destination leads you there.
Este camino lleva al puebloThis road leads to the village
¿Sabes adónde lleva este túnel?Do you know where this tunnel leads?
llevarse
to take away, to take with one
When you carry something with yourself, the emphasis is on the fact that you are the one carrying it. The destination drops out of the picture, and what remains is you and the thing you've taken.
Se llevó todas sus cosas cuando se fueHe took all his things with him when he left
Los ladrones se llevaron las joyasThe thieves took the jewels
to get, to receive (an unexpected experience)
When something unexpected happens to you, you carry away that experience — you get a surprise, a shock, a scare.
Me llevé una alegría enorme al verlaI got a huge surprise seeing her
Se llevó un buen susto cuando oyó el ruidoHe got a real fright when he heard the noise
to get along (with people)
How you "carry yourself" with someone refers to how you move through shared situations with them - how you get along with them.
Me llevo muy bien con mis compañeros de trabajoI get along really well with my coworkers
Las dos hermanas nunca se han llevado bienThe two sisters have never gotten along well