How to use in Spanish: Llevar

Today we bring you the Spanish verb “llevar”, another versatile word with many meanings.

llevar de Zeta Hache

If you are a beginner in Spanish, one verb that comes in very handy is “llevar”.

Its core idea is to carry something along, literally or figuratively. Whether it’s things, clothing, hairstyles, time, responsabilities, resilence or getting along with…among others. 

 To wear

“Llevar” means to wear. You can use it to talk about clothing:

“Llevo pantalones, zapatos, gorra…”

Or accesories:

“Llevo gafas, reloj, mascarilla, pendientes…”

Hairstyles:

“Levo pelo corto, largo, barba, bigote…”

Or tattoos…:

“Llevo tatuajes, piercings…”

Food

Also used to inquire about ingredients. “¿Qué lleva esto?” or describe dishes “lleva lechuga, tomate...”.

“¿Qué lleva la ensalada 🥗…la sopa🥣… la pasta🍝…?“

“¿Lleva carne 🥩 o pescado 🐠?“

“¿Lleva cerdo 🐷?“

“¿Lleva marisco 🦐?“

To carry

To carry and extended meanings, transport, travel and buying.

You can carry things: “¿Llevas el pasaporte?” “Llevo la mochila“

Or people: “¿Me llevas al aeropuero/ al centro/ a casa…?”

Or take away: “Un café/ una pizza para llevar…“

Or take with you things you buy. In this usage,it on the pronominal form “llevarse” :

“Me llevo estos zapatos“

“¿Te llevas esto?“

Additionaly, it means to aim for in the context of directions or itineraries:

“¿Este autobús/ metro…lleva al centro?“

“¿Dónde lleva esta camino?“

Responsibility

The weight of responsibility is also something we may carry.At work is used to describe responsibilities. Similar to “to be in charge of”:

“Lleva el departamento de …”

“Lleva la gestión de…“

Duration

Frequently in combination with “cuánto” to ask about  “how long…”. Notice verb after “llevar” uses gerund form “ando/iendo”:

“¿Cuánto llevas trabajando/estudiando/viviendo/…?”

“¿Cuánto lleva el viaje a …Bilbao/la playa/…?“

“Lleva una hora y media“

Get on well/badly…

To talk about getting along, pronominal “llevarse” is needed: me llevo,te llevas…

“¿Qué tal te llevas con tus compañeros de trabajo/ de piso/ de clase…?“

“Me llevo bien/mal/genial/fatal…“

A variation of the previous, we have “llevarlo bien/mal/más o menos…”. “Lo” refering to a situation. This time is not pronominal, but “lo” goes before the verb:

“¿Cómo lo llevas?”  (How is it going)

“Lo llevo bien/mal/ más o menos“

Song with “llevar”

Clearly, the Spanish verb “llevar” mingles in everyday conversations in countless ways.

 Like in “No puedo vivir sin ti”, a song about someone being entangled in another person’s life and… some very good examples of “llevar”:

“me dejaré llevar” …..” ” I will go with the flow”

*Dejarse llevar”: to go with the flow

🎵No puedo vivir sin ti (Coque Malla y Anni B Sweat, 2013)

Practice

Match the sentences in Spanish with the equivalent in English:

Practice “Llevar” in common sentences