The verb traer means "to bring" (toward the speaker). It is one of the most irregular verbs in Spanish, with an unusual yo form in the present (traigo) and a j-stem preterite (traje, trajiste, trajo...) that it shares with verbs like decir and conducir.
Traer is extremely common in everyday conversation, used whenever someone brings an object, a person, or even news. Note that traer refers to movement toward the speaker, while llevar refers to movement away.
Present Indicative
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | traigo |
| tú | traes |
| él / ella / usted | trae |
| nosotros / nosotras | traemos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | traen |
Preterite
The preterite is built on the irregular stem traj- and uses the endings of irregular verbs. Note that the ellos/ellas/ustedes form is trajeron (no "i"), a hallmark of j-stem verbs.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | traje |
| tú | trajiste |
| él / ella / usted | trajo |
| nosotros / nosotras | trajimos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | trajeron |
Imperfect
The imperfect is regular.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | traía |
| tú | traías |
| él / ella / usted | traía |
| nosotros / nosotras | traíamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | traían |
Future
The future is regular, built on the full infinitive.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | traeré |
| tú | traerás |
| él / ella / usted | traerá |
| nosotros / nosotras | traeremos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | traerán |
Mañana traeré el informe terminado.
Tomorrow I will bring the finished report.
Conditional
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | traería |
| tú | traerías |
| él / ella / usted | traería |
| nosotros / nosotras | traeríamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | traerían |
Present Subjunctive
The present subjunctive keeps the traig- stem from the yo form.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | traiga |
| tú | traigas |
| él / ella / usted | traiga |
| nosotros / nosotras | traigamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | traigan |
Quiero que traigas tu guitarra.
I want you to bring your guitar.
Imperfect Subjunctive
Built from the third-person plural preterite trajeron, dropping -ron.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | trajera |
| tú | trajeras |
| él / ella / usted | trajera |
| nosotros / nosotras | trajéramos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | trajeran |
Imperative
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| tú (affirmative) | trae |
| tú (negative) | no traigas |
| usted | traiga |
| nosotros | traigamos |
| ustedes | traigan |
Trae los platos a la mesa, por favor.
Bring the plates to the table, please.
Non-Finite Forms
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | traer |
| Gerund | trayendo |
| Past Participle | traído |
Note the accent on traído (the "i" must be stressed) and the "y" in trayendo.
Common Uses and Expressions
- Traer puesto — to be wearing: Trae puesto un abrigo negro. (He's wearing a black coat.)
- Traer loco a alguien — to drive someone crazy: Este problema me trae loco.
- ¿Qué te trae por aquí? — What brings you here?
¿Me traes un vaso de agua?
Can you bring me a glass of water?
Compare with the similar j-stem verb caer and the irregular oír.
Related Topics
- Caer: Full ConjugationB1 — Complete conjugation of the verb caer with its irregular yo form and y-spelling changes
- Oír: Full ConjugationA2 — Complete conjugation of the verb oír with its accent marks and y-insertion
- J-Stem Irregulars (Decir, Traer, -Ducir Verbs)B1 — Verbs whose preterite stem ends in j drop the i of the ellos ending, giving -eron instead of -ieron.