llevar vs llevarse Flashcards
llevar vs. llevarse
Similar to the case of ir vs. irse, the pronominal form (llevarse) denotes a delimited event focusing on the departure from the origin, while llevar normally focuses on the destination of the movement. In some cases, both may be possible with only a slight difference in meaning.
When neither the origin nor the destination is expressed explicitly, in the present or imperfect, llevar denotes
Llevarse, on the other hand, expresses a delimited event
an ongoing action that has no endpoint (atelic), usually translating as ‘to wear’, ‘to carry’ or ‘to have’; in the preterite or other perfect tenses, llevar normally implies a destination.
(telic), where the origin is implied, usually translating as ‘to take away (with oneself)’, or to ‘make off with’.
I’ve got the money
-Se lo llevaron esposado — He was taken away in handcuffs
Yo llevo el dinero [≈Voy con el dinero; Véase llevar/tener]
I’ll take/I’m taking the money (with me)
Yo me llevo el dinero—[≈Me voy con el dinero]
I had the money (on me) [An open-ended activity]
Yo llevaba el dinero
I was taking the money (away with me) [A delimited action seen as ongoing]
Yo me llevaba/estaba llevando el dinero
I took the money
Yo llevé el dinero
[In preterite, ‘llevar’ implies a destination, for example: ¿Quién llevó el dinero al banco?]
I took the money (with me)
→Yo me llevé el dinero [‘Llevarse’ is far more common in the preterite, since it denotes a one-off action; ¿Quién se llevó el dinero (de la caja)?
He was wearing/carrying a leather jacket
-Llevaba un abrigo de piel — [≈Iba con un abrigo de piel]
He was taking (away)/making off with a leather jacket
→Se llevaba/se estaba llevando un abrigo de piel - [≈Se iba con un abrigo de piel]
He took a leather jacket
-Llevó un abrigo de piel
[In preterite, ‘llevar’ implies a destination, for example: ¿Qué llevó Juan de regalo?]
He took/made off with a leather jacket
Se llevó un abrigo de piel
They’ve taken her prisoner
Se la han llevado presa
When the origin is expressed, but not the destination,
llevarse is usually the only option.
Take this shit away (with you)
Llévate esta mierda de aquí
There was a jacket on this table. Who took it?
Había un abrigo en esta mesa. ¿Quién se lo llevado (de aquí)?
When the destination is expressed, often both are possible.
Once again, llevarse focuses on the removal of a thing from the origin, while llevar tends to focus on the destination of the movement.
Take this to Juan’s house [Focus on the destination]
Lleva esto a casa de Juan
Take this (with you) to Juan’s house [Focus on taking something away from here; sounds like the person is already leaving and possibly going to Juan’s house anyway]
Llévate esto a casa de Juan
Since it was his birthday, he took the kid to New York
Como era su cumpleaños, llevó al niño a Nueva York —
When they got divorced, the mother took the kid (with her) to New York [≈Se marchó con él]
Cuando se divorciaron, la madre se llevó al niño a Nueva York
Se lo llevó a Nueva York
I’m going to a street party in Granada tomorrow. Do you mind if I take the car? [Focus on the destination of the car or driving the car (‘al botellón)]
Voy a un botellón mañana en Granada. ¿Te importa que lleve el coche? —
I’m going to a street party in Granada tomorrow. Do you mind if I take the car (with me)? [Focus on the removal of the car from the origin]
Voy a un botellón mañana en Granada. ¿Te importa que me lleve el coche?
Llevarse is also used figuratively in numerous expressions, often translating as ‘to get’.
Similar to English, it can also be used when talking about ‘taking sth positive away from a situation or experience’, as in the take-home message or lesson learned.
He got/ received/ won/ walked away with first prize
-Se llevó el premio de oro —
Russia has been worst affected/ has got the short end of the stick/ has borne the brunt of it
La peor parte se la ha llevado Rusia
What are you going to take away from this experience?
¿De esta experiencia qué te llevas?
For me it’s been all about /I’m going to cherish the love I’ve felt from the fans
-Me llevo el cariño de los aficionados —
This last sentence best sums up the article for me
Del artículo me llevo esta última frase
This last sentence best sums up the article for me
Del artículo me llevo esta última frase
Remember: the ‘Se’ in llevarse may be pasiva refleja, posesivo or some other use.
- El pantalón de pitillo se lleva ahora — Skinny trousers are in fashion
- Se lleva bien con todo el mundo — He gets on well with everyone
- Le lleva 5 años — He’s 5 years older
→Se llevan 5 años — There’s a 5-year age gap
- El coche se llevó por delante a un perro — The car ran over a dog [See llevarse algo por delante]
- Se llevó las manos a la cabeza — He put is hands on his head [Dativo posesivo]
- Se llevó a cabo de noche — It was carried out at night [Pasiva refleja]
Finally, the pronominal form of the verb traer expresses a similar idea, suggesting that someone has brought something with them (away from somewhere else).
Cuando se divorciaron, la madre se llevó al niño a Nueva York [Movement away from the speaker]
Cuando se divorciaron, la madre se trajo al niño aquí (desde Madrid) [Towards the speaker]
(Te) He traído las gafas, ahora dame el dinero — I’ve brought (you) the glasses. Now give me the money
Me he traído las gafas, por si acaso — I’ve brought my/the glasses (with me), just in case
