Acarrear Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb acarrear means to carry, to haul, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, acarrear changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say acarreo agua del río cada mañana, and in the preterite you say acarreé las cajas al almacén. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: acarrear
- English: to carry, to haul
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: acarreando
- Past participle: acarreado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + acarreado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for acarrear, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Acarrear is fully regular: acarreo, acarrea. It is carrying with effort, often by hand or with an animal; transportar is the general word for moving goods.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for acarrear. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acarreo |
| tú | acarreas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarrea |
| nosotros/as | acarreamos |
| vosotros/as | acarreáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarrean |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acarreé |
| tú | acarreaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarreó |
| nosotros/as | acarreamos |
| vosotros/as | acarreasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarrearon |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acarreaba |
| tú | acarreabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarreaba |
| nosotros/as | acarreábamos |
| vosotros/as | acarreabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarreaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acarrearé |
| tú | acarrearás |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarreará |
| nosotros/as | acarrearemos |
| vosotros/as | acarrearéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarrearán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acarrearía |
| tú | acarrearías |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarrearía |
| nosotros/as | acarrearíamos |
| vosotros/as | acarrearíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarrearían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he acarreado |
| tú | has acarreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha acarreado |
| nosotros/as | hemos acarreado |
| vosotros/as | habéis acarreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han acarreado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había acarreado |
| tú | habías acarreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había acarreado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos acarreado |
| vosotros/as | habíais acarreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían acarreado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré acarreado |
| tú | habrás acarreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá acarreado |
| nosotros/as | habremos acarreado |
| vosotros/as | habréis acarreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán acarreado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría acarreado |
| tú | habrías acarreado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría acarreado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos acarreado |
| vosotros/as | habríais acarreado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían acarreado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acarree |
| tú | acarrees |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarree |
| nosotros/as | acarreemos |
| vosotros/as | acarreéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarreen |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | acarreara |
| tú | acarrearas |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarreara |
| nosotros/as | acarreáramos |
| vosotros/as | acarrearais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarrearan |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acarrea |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarree |
| nosotros/as | acarreemos |
| vosotros/as | acarread |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarreen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | acarrees |
| él/ella/Ud. | acarree |
| nosotros/as | acarreemos |
| vosotros/as | acarreéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | acarreen |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | acarreando | with estar for the progressive: estoy acarreando |
| Past participle | acarreado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he acarreado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Acarreo agua del río cada mañana. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, acarreé piedras para construir el muro. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, acarreaba las cajas al almacén. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, acarrearé leña para el invierno. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Acarrearía agua del río cada mañana si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he acarreado piedras para construir el muro. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había acarreado las cajas al almacén antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré acarreado leña para el invierno. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría acarreado agua del río cada mañana con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él acarree piedras para construir el muro. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él acarreara las cajas al almacén, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Acarrea leña para el invierno! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For acarrear, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No acarrees agua del río cada mañana. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with acarrear, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Acarreo agua del río cada mañana. — I carry water from the river every morning.
- Acarrea piedras para construir el muro. — He/she carries stones to build the wall.
- Ayer, acarreé las cajas al almacén. — Yesterday, I carried the boxes to the warehouse.
- Antes, nosotros acarreábamos leña para el invierno. — Before, we used to carry firewood for the winter.
- Mañana, tú acarrearás agua del río cada mañana. — Tomorrow, you will carry water from the river every morning.
- Yo acarrearía piedras para construir el muro si tuviera más tiempo. — I would carry stones to build the wall if I had more time.
- Él ha acarreado las cajas al almacén. — He has carried the boxes to the warehouse.
- Espero que él acarree leña para el invierno. — I hope he carries firewood for the winter.
- Yo ya había acarreado agua del río cada mañana antes de salir. — I had already carried water from the river every morning before leaving.
- Ellos acarreaban piedras para construir el muro cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to carry stones to build the wall when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo acarrea agua del río cada mañana. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Ayer yo acarreo piedras para construir el muro. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Treating acarrear and transportar as identical in every context. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: Yo soy acarreado piedras para construir el muro. — Right: 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.
- Wrong: De niño, yo acarreé las cajas al almacén todos los días. — Right: 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: test yourself
Ten questions on acarrear. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ agua del río cada mañana. (present tense) A. acarreo B. acarreas C. acarrea D. acarreamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ piedras para construir el muro. (preterite) A. acarreé B. acarreaste C. acarrearon D. acarreó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ las cajas al almacén. (imperfect) A. acarreabas B. acarreaban C. acarreábamos D. acarreaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ leña para el invierno. (future) A. acarrearemos B. acarrearás C. acarrearé D. acarreará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ agua del río cada mañana si pudiera. (conditional) A. acarrearía B. acarrearías C. acarrearían D. acarreo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ piedras para construir el muro. (present subjunctive) A. acarrees B. acarreemos C. acarreo D. acarree
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ las cajas al almacén, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. acarreáramos B. acarreo C. acarreara D. acarrearas
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ leña para el invierno. (present perfect) A. han acarreado B. hemos acarreado C. he acarreado D. has acarreado
Complete the command: ¡___ agua del río cada mañana! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. acarrea B. acarree C. acarreemos D. acarread
Which is the gerund of acarrear, used with estar for the progressive? A. acarreado B. acarreo C. acarreé D. acarreando
Answer key
- acarreo — The first-person present of acarrear is acarreo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- acarreó — The third-person preterite of acarrear is acarreó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- acarreábamos — The nosotros imperfect of acarrear is acarreábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- acarrearás — The second-person future of acarrear is acarrearás.
- acarrearía — The first-person conditional of acarrear is acarrearía, the form for what would happen.
- acarree — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of acarrear is acarree.
- acarreara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of acarrear is acarreara.
- hemos acarreado — The nosotros present perfect of acarrear is hemos acarreado: hemos + acarreado.
- acarrea — The affirmative tú imperative of acarrear is acarrea.
- acarreando — The gerund of acarrear is acarreando: estoy acarreando. The participle acarreado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does acarrear mean in English?
Acarrear means to carry, to haul. It is used in everyday situations such as Acarreo agua del río cada mañana. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is acarrear regular or irregular?
Acarrear is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including acarreo in the present and acarreé in the preterite.
What is the difference between acarrear and transportar?
Acarrear means to carry, to haul, while transportar means to transport. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use acarrear when you mean to carry, to haul, as in Acarreo agua del río cada mañana, and use transportar for to transport. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I carry” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo acarreé piedras para construir el muro. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo acarreaba las cajas al almacén. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he acarreado piedras para construir el muro.
How do I practise acarrear?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the acarrear examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Acarrear in the present tense — the full present-tense table for acarrear.
- Acarrear examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for acarrear.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Acechar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acarrear.
- Abrochar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acarrear.
- Achacar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with acarrear.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.