Llevo mi portátil en la mochila cuando voy a la biblioteca.

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Breakdown of Llevo mi portátil en la mochila cuando voy a la biblioteca.

• en: in
• mi: my
• cuando: when

Questions & Answers about Llevo mi portátil en la mochila cuando voy a la biblioteca.

Why is it llevo and not traigo here? Aren’t both “to bring”?

Spanish distinguishes llevar and traer more strictly than English:

• llevar = to take/carry something away from where the speaker is to another place.
• traer = to bring something towards where the speaker is (or towards the listener, depending on perspective).

In this sentence, the idea is that you take your laptop with you from home (or wherever you are) to the library, so llevo is the natural choice.

If you were already at the library and talking to someone there, you might say:

• ¿Me traes tu portátil? – Can you bring me your laptop (here)?

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Why is it llevo and not estoy llevando, like “I am carrying”?

Spanish uses the simple present much more than English does.

• Llevo mi portátil en la mochila = I take/carry my laptop in my backpack (as a habit, what you usually do).
• Estoy llevando mi portátil en la mochila is possible but sounds like right now / at this moment I am in the process of carrying it this way, and even then, Spaniards would normally still just say llevo.

So for general habits or repeated actions, use the simple present (llevo, voy) instead of a progressive form.

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Is portátil masculine or feminine? Why is it mi portátil and not mi portátil with some change?