An emotional, figurative use
Te llevo en mi corazón y cerca me tendrás.
I carry you in my heart, and you will have me close.
Here llevar means keeping someone emotionally close, not physically carrying them.
Listen from 0:00 to 1:00.
LLEVAR
Carry, Take, Wear, Time & More
The verb LLEVAR appears everywhere in daily Spanish. Depending on the pattern, it can mean to carry, to take, to wear, to spend time, to manage, or to get along.
LLEVAR at a glance
Do not memorize one English translation. Learn the pattern that follows llevar.
llevar algo
carry / take something
llevar ropa
wear clothes
llevar + tiempo
have been doing / be somewhere for
llevarse bien
get along well
me lo llevo
I’ll take it
llevar a alguien
take / drive someone somewhere
The 10 Core Contexts & Uses
1. Transport / Transporte
Llevar los platos sucios a la cocina.
→ Take the dirty plates to the kitchen.
Mi marido llevará las bolsas de la compra.
→ My husband will carry the grocery bags.
Llevaremos nuestras propias bebidas a la fiesta.
→ We’ll bring our own drinks to the party.
Te llevo a la estación si quieres.
→ I can give you a ride to the station if you like.
2. Clothing / Ropa
Ella siempre lleva sus botas favoritas cuando nieva.
→ She always wears her favorite boots when it snows.
Llevar zapatos / ropa / gafas.
→ To wear shoes / clothes / glasses.
3. Escort / Acompañar
El recepcionista nos llevó a nuestra habitación.
→ The receptionist took us to our room.
4. Time / Tiempo
Llevo cuatro horas estudiando.
→ I’ve been studying for four hours.
Rellenar el formulario lleva solo diez minutos.
→ It only takes ten minutes to fill in the form.
Llevo dos años aquí.
I have been here for two years.
Llevo dos años estudiando español.
I have been studying Spanish for two years.
5. Comparison / Comparación
Me llevaba dos metros de ventaja en la carrera.
→ He was ahead of me by two meters in the race.
Mi marido me lleva dos meses.
→ My husband is two months older than me.
6. Management / Gestión
Sofía lleva todos los asuntos de finanzas en la familia.
→ Sofía handles all the finances in the family.
¿Quién va a llevar lo del traslado de oficina?
→ Who’s going to deal with the office move?
Estoy llevando la empresa familiar.
→ I’m running the family business.
7. Coping / Afrontar
¿Cómo lo llevas?
→ How are you getting on?
La profesora sabe llevar a los alumnos.
→ The teacher knows how to handle the students.
8. Intransitive Use
¿Sabes a dónde lleva este túnel?
→ Do you know where this tunnel leads to?
9. Auxiliary Use
Lleva comidos cuatro trozos de pizza.
→ She has already eaten four slices of pizza.
10. Reflexive "llevarse" / Pronominal
Adding the reflexive pronoun completely changes the dynamics of the action, shifting meaning to possession, relationship, fashion, or theft.
Se llevó todas sus pertenencias consigo.
→ He took all of his belongings with him.
¿Qué te llevarás cuando te vayas?
→ What will you take with you when you go?
Las dos hermanas nunca se han llevado bien.
→ The two sisters have never gotten along well.
Se llevan mucho las zapatillas de deporte con trajes ahora.
→ Sneakers with suits are really in fashion now.
Los ladrones se llevaron todas las joyas.
→ The thieves walked away with all the jewelry.
Useful Phrases & Expressions
llevar a cabo
→ to carry out
llevar puesto
→ to wear
para llevar
→ to go / take away
llevar una vida sana
→ to lead a healthy life
Me lo llevo.
→ I'll take it.
llevar bien
→ to cope well with
Quiero llevar una blusa y falda hoy.
→ I want to wear a blouse and skirt today.
Voy a llevar fruta para todos.
→ I’m going to bring fruit for everybody.
dejarse llevar
→ to get carried away
Cuando viajas, es buena idea llevar algo de efectivo.
→ When traveling, it’s a good idea to carry some cash.
Hay que llevar el carnet de identidad.
→ One must take an ID card.
LLEVAR vs TRAER
Llevar normally moves something away from here / toward another place. Traer normally moves something toward here / toward the speaker.
Lleva estos documentos a la oficina.
Take these documents to the office.
Trae los documentos aquí.
Bring the documents here.
LLEVAR you actually hear
¿Qué llevas puesto?
What are you wearing?
What are you wearing?
¿Te llevo?
Shall I take / drive you?
Shall I take / drive you?
Me lo llevo.
I’ll take it.
I’ll take it.
Nos llevamos bien.
We get along well.
We get along well.
¿Cómo lo llevas?
How are you coping with it?
How are you coping with it?
Llévatelo.
Take it with you.
Take it with you.
For pronoun placement in commands such as llévatelo and no te lo lleves, see Spanish Reflexive Imperatives.
LLEVAR in music
Two uses you will remember
Llévame contigo — Romeo Santos
Llévame contigo, no seas malita.
Take me with you; don’t be mean.
Llévame combines the affirmative command lleva with the object pronoun me: “take me.”
Listen from 1:09 to 1:39.
Quick Summary
LLEVAR
To take, carry, bring, wear, lead, spend time, or manage tasks.
LLEVARSE
To take away, get along with someone, follow a fashion, or steal items.
IDIOMS
Common structures: llevar a cabo, llevar puesto, para llevar.
The Simple Rule
LLEVAR = transport, wear, manage, cope, or carry out