Traer vs Llevar – Bring vs Take

Use traer when something moves toward the speaker’s location or the listener’s current place, so the focus is on coming to a point near you. Think: bringing an object to “here.”

Use llevar when something moves away from the speaker’s location toward another place, so the focus is on going from “here” to “there.” Think: taking an object to a different place.

Remember: use traer to bring toward the speaker or listener’s place and llevar to take away to another place. Change the verb to match who moves what and where, and your directions will sound natural.

Verbs like pasar, llevarse and traerse add small twists to moving things between places, so pay attention to context and whether you focus on the item, the movement, or who carries it.