Acarrear Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

acarrear means “to carry, to haul” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Acarrear means to carry or to haul, to transport heavy things from one place to another, often with effort. It is used for water, stones, boxes and firewood, and it is fully regular. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of acarrear; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the acarrear present tense page.

acarrear in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo acarreo agua del río cada mañana. — “I carry water from the river every morning.”
  2. Él acarrea piedras para construir el muro. — “He carries stones to build the wall.”
  3. Nosotros acarreamos las cajas al almacén. — “We carry the boxes to the warehouse.”
  4. Ellos acarrean leña para el invierno. — “They carry firewood for the winter.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo acarreé piedras para construir el muro. — “Yesterday, I carried stones to build the wall.”
  2. Antes, nosotros acarreábamos las cajas al almacén. — “Before, we used to carry the boxes to the warehouse.”
  3. Él acarreó leña para el invierno. — “He carried firewood for the winter.”
  4. Yo ya había acarreado agua del río cada mañana antes de salir. — “I had already carried water from the river every morning before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú acarrearás agua del río cada mañana. — “Tomorrow, you will carry water from the river every morning.”
  2. Yo acarrearía piedras para construir el muro si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would carry stones to build the wall if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha acarreado las cajas al almacén. — “He has carried the boxes to the warehouse.”
  4. Espero que él acarree leña para el invierno. — “I hope he carries firewood for the winter.”

acarrear in conversation

Two short dialogues that use acarrear the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo acarreo agua del río cada mañana. — “I carry water from the river every morning.”
  • Bea: Él acarrea piedras para construir el muro. — “He carries stones to build the wall.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo acarreé piedras para construir el muro. — “Yesterday, I carried stones to build the wall.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú acarrearás agua del río cada mañana. — “Tomorrow, you will carry water from the river every morning.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros acarreamos las cajas al almacén. — “We carry the boxes to the warehouse.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros acarreábamos las cajas al almacén. — “Before, we used to carry the boxes to the warehouse.”
  • Luis: Yo acarrearía piedras para construir el muro si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would carry stones to build the wall if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él acarree leña para el invierno. — “I hope he carries firewood for the winter.”

A short scene with acarrear

A short scene shows how acarrear works across the day. In the morning: Acarreo agua del río cada mañana. In the afternoon: Acarrea piedras para construir el muro. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, acarreé las cajas al almacén. And tomorrow: Mañana, acarrearé leña para el invierno. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how acarrear sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with acarrear

The errors learners actually make with acarrear, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo acarrea agua del río cada mañana.

✓ Correct: Yo acarreo agua del río cada mañana.

The person matters: acarrea is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is acarreo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo acarreo piedras para construir el muro.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo acarreé piedras para construir el muro.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: acarreo is happening now, while acarreé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating acarrear and transportar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Acarrear means to carry, to haul, while transportar means to transport.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: acarrear fits sentences such as Acarreo agua del río cada mañana, while transportar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy acarreado piedras para construir el muro.

✓ Correct: Yo he acarreado piedras para construir el muro.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he acarreado, has acarreado, ha acarreado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo acarreé las cajas al almacén todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo acarreaba las cajas al almacén todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (acarreaba), not the preterite. The preterite (acarreé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: acarrear in use

Ten questions on acarrear — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ piedras para construir el muro. — “He/she carries stones to build the wall.”

  • a) acarrea
  • b) acarreo
  • c) acarreas
  • d) acarreamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ las cajas al almacén. — “Yesterday, I carried the boxes to the warehouse.”

  • a) acarreaste
  • b) acarreó
  • c) acarrearon
  • d) acarreé

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ leña para el invierno cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to carry firewood for the winter when they were young.”

  • a) acarreabas
  • b) acarreábamos
  • c) acarreaban
  • d) acarreaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ agua del río cada mañana. — “Tomorrow, we will carry water from the river every morning.”

  • a) acarrearán
  • b) acarrearemos
  • c) acarrearé
  • d) acarrearás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ piedras para construir el muro si pudiera. — “He would carry stones to build the wall if he could.”

  • a) acarrearía
  • b) acarrearías
  • c) acarrearíamos
  • d) acarreo

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ las cajas al almacén. — “I have carried the boxes to the warehouse.”

  • a) has acarreado
  • b) ha acarreado
  • c) han acarreado
  • d) he acarreado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ leña para el invierno. — “I hope you carry firewood for the winter.”

  • a) acarreemos
  • b) acarreo
  • c) acarrees
  • d) acarree

8. Which is the past participle of acarrear, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) acarreé
  • b) acarreado
  • c) acarreando
  • d) acarreo

9. What does acarrear mean in English?

  • a) to carry, to haul
  • b) to transport
  • c) to watch, to lurk
  • d) to blame, to attribute

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él acarrea piedras para construir el muro.
  • b) Él acarreo piedras para construir el muro.
  • c) Nosotros acarrea las cajas al almacén.
  • d) Yo acarrea agua del río cada mañana.

Answer key

  1. a) acarrea — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: acarrea.

  2. d) acarreé — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: acarreé, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) acarreaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: acarreaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) acarrearemos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: acarrearemos.

  5. a) acarrearía — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: acarrearía.

  6. d) he acarreado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he acarreado, haber + acarreado.

  7. c) acarrees — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is acarrees.

  8. b) acarreado — The past participle is acarreado: he acarreado, has acarreado, ha acarreado. The gerund acarreando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to carry, to haul — acarrear means to carry, to haul. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él acarrea piedras para construir el muro. — Él acarrea piedras para construir el muro. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use acarrear in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Acarreo agua del río cada mañana and Acarrea piedras para construir el muro. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between acarrear and transportar?

Acarrear means “to carry, to haul”, while transportar means “to transport”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use acarrear when you mean “to carry, to haul” and transportar when you mean “to transport”.

Which tense do I need most with acarrear?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use acarrear most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is acarrear formal or informal?

Acarrear is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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