Log inSign up

Tengo las tazas y las llevo a la cocina.

Tengo las tazas y las llevo a la cocina.
I have the cups and I am taking them to the kitchen.
From Lesson 56:Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Tengo las tazas y las llevo a la cocina.

Why is las used twice here, and does it mean the same thing both times?
No, they do completely different jobs! In las tazas, las is the word for 'the' (the feminine plural definite article). In las llevo, las is a direct object pronoun meaning 'them'. It replaces the cups so we do not have to repeat the word.
Why does las come before the verb in las llevo?
In Spanish, direct object pronouns like las (them) must go immediately before a conjugated verb. So instead of saying 'I take them', Spanish puts it in the order 'them I take' (las llevo).
I learned that the verb 'to take' is tomar. Why is llevo used here?
It depends on what kind of taking you are doing! Tomar is used for taking transport, taking medicine, or having something to eat or drink. When you physically carry or transport an object from one place to another, you use the verb llevar.
Why isn't there a word for 'I' before tengo and llevo?
In Spanish, the ending of the verb usually tells you who is doing the action. Both tengo (I have) and llevo (I take) end in -o, which signals that I (yo) am doing the action. You can leave out the yo unless you really want to emphasize it.

Learn Tengo las tazas y las llevo a la cocina and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →