Llevar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of llevar — to wear — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Llevar means to carry, to wear, to take, and to have spent time: llevar un abrigo, llevar una maleta, llevar dos años en Madrid. It is regular, but its range is wide — time expressions (llevo una hora esperando) are the sense learners meet last and use most. This page gives you the complete present tense table for llevar, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo llevo un abrigo negro.” — “I am wearing a black coat”.

Present tense conjugation of llevar

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for llevar. Llevar is a regular -ar verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present tense indicative — llevar

Person Form
yo llevo
tú llevas
él/ella/Ud. lleva
nosotros/as llevamos
vosotros/as lleváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. llevan

The gerund of llevar is llevando and the past participle is llevado. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of llevar is formed

For a regular -ar verb, the present tense is built on the stem llev- (the infinitive llevar without its -ar ending) plus the present tense endings: yo → llevo, tú → llevas, él/ella/Ud. → lleva, nosotros/as → llevamos, vosotros/as → lleváis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → llevan. So llevar gives llevo, llevas, lleva, llevamos, lleváis and llevan. There is nothing irregular to memorise for this verb in this tense — the endings do all the work, and the stress falls where the endings put it.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, lleváis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of llevar

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with llevar: “Yo llevo un abrigo negro.” — “I am wearing a black coat”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with llevar: “Ella lleva gafas de sol.” — “She is wearing sunglasses”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with llevar: “Nosotros llevamos las maletas al coche.” — “We carry the suitcases to the car”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with llevar: “Ellos llevan dos años viviendo aquí.” — “They have been living here for two years”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: llevar now, llevar later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo llevo un abrigo negro todos los días.” — “I wear a black coat every day.”

  • Future: “Yo llevaré un abrigo negro mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will wear a black coat.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella lleva un abrigo negro ahora.” — “She wears a black coat now.”

  • Future: “Ella llevará un abrigo negro la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will wear a black coat.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros llevamos un abrigo negro en clase.” — “We wear a black coat in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros llevaremos un abrigo negro el lunes.” — “On Monday we will wear a black coat.”

Example sentences: llevar in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of llevar, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo llevo un abrigo negro.” — “I am wearing a black coat.”
  • “Ella lleva gafas de sol.” — “She is wearing sunglasses.”
  • “Nosotros llevamos las maletas al coche.” — “We carry the suitcases to the car.”
  • “Ellos llevan dos años viviendo aquí.” — “They have been living here for two years.”
  • “¿Tú llevas el paraguas?” — “Are you taking the umbrella?”
  • “Vosotros lleváis una hora esperando.” — “You have been waiting for an hour.”

Common mistakes with llevar in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo llevo dos años — learners use tener for time.

Right: Yo llevo dos años aquí.

Time spent in a place or activity takes llevar, not tener.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Llevar a los niños — learners drop the personal a.

Right: Nosotros llevamos a los niños al parque.

People as direct objects need the personal a: llevar a los niños.

Quiz: llevar in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of llevar. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of llevar in the present tense?

  • A) llevo
  • B) llevas
  • C) lleva
  • D) llevamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is llevo.

2. What is the tú form of llevar in the present tense?

  • A) llevo
  • B) lleva
  • C) llevamos
  • D) llevas

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is llevas.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of llevar in the present tense?

  • A) llevas
  • B) llevamos
  • C) lleva
  • D) llevo

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is lleva.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of llevar in the present tense?

  • A) lleva
  • B) llevamos
  • C) llevo
  • D) llevas

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is llevamos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ un abrigo negro.” (I am wearing a black coat.)

  • A) llevo
  • B) llevas
  • C) lleva
  • D) llevamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs llevo.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ gafas de sol.” (She is wearing sunglasses.)

  • A) llevo
  • B) llevas
  • C) llevamos
  • D) lleva

Answer: D — The sentence needs lleva.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo llevo dos años — learners use tener for time.
  • B) Yo llevo dos años aquí.

Answer: B — Time spent in a place or activity takes llevar, not tener.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Nosotros llevamos a los niños al parque.
  • B) Llevar a los niños — learners drop the personal a.

Answer: A — People as direct objects need the personal a: llevar a los niños.

Frequently asked questions

Is llevar regular in the present tense?

Yes. llevar is a regular -ar verb and its present tense follows the standard endings, so once you know the stem llev- you can build all six forms. The only thing to watch is the spelling of the endings themselves, including the accents.

What is the yo form of llevar in the present tense?

It is llevo. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for llevar it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of llevar instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of llevar?

Say the six forms aloud in order — llevo, llevas, lleva, llevamos, lleváis, llevan — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for llevar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo llevo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo llevé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo llevaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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