Llevar: Full Conjugation

Llevar is a workhorse verb that means "to carry," "to take (somewhere)," "to wear," and "to spend (time)." It also enters into one of the most common time expressions in Spanish: llevo dos años en México — "I've been in Mexico for two years." Llevar overlaps semantically with English take, bring, carry, and wear, and the right English translation always depends on context.

Llevar is a completely regular -ar verb. None of its forms are irregular in any tense, which makes it a good model for the regular -ar paradigm and a relief after so many irregular high-frequency verbs.

Present Indicative

Preterite

Imperfect

Future

Conditional

Present Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Imperative

Non-Finite Forms

• Infinitive: llevar
• Gerund: llevando
• Past participle: llevado

Compound Tenses

The compound tenses use haber plus the past participle llevado.

Present Perfect

Pluperfect

Future Perfect

Conditional Perfect

Present Perfect Subjunctive

Pluperfect Subjunctive

Progressive Forms

Progressive forms use estar with the gerund llevando.

Present Progressive

Past Progressive

Future Progressive

Common Collocations and Expressions

• llevar a cabo — to carry out, accomplish
• llevar + time + gerund — to have been (doing) for X time
• llevarse bien / mal con — to get along well / badly with
• llevar la contraria — to contradict, disagree on principle
• llevar la cuenta — to keep count
• llevar la voz cantante — to be the one calling the shots
• llevar las de perder — to be at a disadvantage
• llevar ventaja — to have the advantage
• llevarse un susto — to get a fright
• llevarse una sorpresa — to be surprised
• llevar puesto — to have on (clothing)
• llevarse por delante — to knock down, run over
• llevar tiempo + gerund — to have been (doing) for a while
• para llevar — to go, takeout (food)
• llevar entre manos — to be working on, have on the go

Common Errors (for English speakers)

• ❌ Traigo a los niños a la escuela. / ✅ Llevo a los niños a la escuela. — Use llevar when moving away from the speaker; use traer when moving toward the speaker.
• ❌ Llevo dos años aquí desde. / ✅ Llevo dos años aquí. — Don't add desde; llevar + time is a complete structure.
• ❌ Llevo estudiando español. / ✅ Llevo dos años estudiando español. — Llevar + gerund always needs an explicit time period.
• ❌ Me llevo bien con mis primos a veces. / ⚠️ Me llevo bien con mis primos. — Llevarse bien con describes a stable relationship; sporadic affinity is unusual.
• ❌ Llevo un sombrero. / ✅ Llevo (puesto) un sombrero. — Both are fine, but llevo puesto is clearer for "I'm wearing." Otherwise llevo un sombrero might suggest "I'm carrying."
• ❌ Quiero dos cafés para llevarse. / ✅ Quiero dos cafés para llevar. — The fixed expression is para llevar, in the infinitive.

Related Verbs

• traer — "to bring" (toward the speaker). Opposite of llevar.
• dejar — "to leave behind." Often paired with llevar.
• transportar — formal "to transport."
• acompañar — "to accompany."
• vestir — "to wear" (more deliberate than llevar puesto).
• ponerse — "to put on" (the act of dressing); contrast with llevar puesto.

Cross-references

• Llevar vs. traer
• Llevar + time + gerund
• Dejar: full conjugation
• Pasar: full conjugation
• Regular -ar verb endings