“Llevar” vs. “Traer” in Spanish

Quick Answer

In Spanish, there are two verbs commonly used to say to bring: llevarand traer.

There are important differences between these two verbs in terms of context. Let's learn a bit more about each one!

Llevar

Llevar is used when the speaker brings or takes something or someone from their current location to another location. In general, choose llevar when the object is a person.

For example:

examples
Llevaré mi propia silla a la playa.
I’ll bring my own chair to the beach.
El profesor llevó a sus estudiantes al museo.
The teacher took his students to the museum.

Traer

Traer is used to indicate that an object is being brought toward the speaker. In other words, the object is being transported to the speaker’s location.

For example:

examples
¿Me traes un vaso de agua?
Will you bring me a glass of water?
Se le olvidó traer panecillos.
He forgot to bring buns.