llevar means: to carry, to take, to wear
Click to see all conjugation charts of llevar in every tense

In this conjugation lesson we are going to learn how to conjugate the verb llevar in the Pretérito tense of the Indicativo mood. It means we will see step by step how to create and translate forms of each grammatical person.

This lesson is specifically about the llevar verb conjugation. For an overview of all the Simple Tenses conjugation see the Simple Tenses Conjugation Chart.

We also have a Video Presentation on how to conjugate verbs in Pretérito. It’s embedded below, but using the above link you will find more detailed information on conjugation in this tense as well as explanation of special cases and exceptions.

How to translate Pretérito to English

Note that the phrases in English provided below next to each conjugation are not direct translations from Spanish to English. They are usually the closest general equivalents. The example differences are:

• In Spanish conjugation, there is the form usted in the third person singular. But this person does not translate to the English third person singular. It translates to the so called formal you and uses the inflected form which is most often represented as he/she/it in English conjugation charts.
• Similar situation happens in the third person plural, where ustedes translates to the English plural formal you but uses the form which corresponds to the they form in English.
• Tenses are used differently in Spanish and English, so the actual translation should always take into account the context and focus on translating the meaning, not just words.
• In both languages each verb may have multiple meanings and not every meaning translates directly to the other language. Here also, the context and focusing on the particular meaning helps to create the most accurate translation.

Note the timeline

The ability to properly locate the desired position on the timeline is a crucial skill for the right use of tenses. So pay attention to the timeline in our lessons and visualize it while listening, speaking, writing and reading. After some practice you will be capable of selecting the right tense to use much easier.

Step by step instructions

Pretérito belongs to the simple tenses group, which means that all of the inflected forms are one word long. There are also compound (compuesto) tenses in the Spanish language, where each inflected form consists of two words.The verb llevar has a completely regular conjugation in the Pretérito tense of the Indicativo mood. It means this verb follows the basic rules for its conjugation group (-ar) without exceptions. The basis for this conjugation is the stem of the verb, so we begin by splitting the infinitive into a stem and an ending. It’s easy to do. Just remove two letters from the end of the infinitive form and you have the ending — one of -ar, -er or -ir. What’s left is the stem. So in case of our verb:

• the stem is: llev-
• and the ending is: -ar

Use the stem llev- in each person as the basis for conjugations, the common prefix or root that each of the forms begins with. Next, add to this regular stem the endings specific to each person. Analyze the image showing all six endings. Notice the shapes and colors of the letters. They are arranged to help you find patterns and make it easier to remember these endings.Each grammatical person has a specific ending in each of the three conjugation groups -ar, -er, -ir. Add the regular ending -é for the first person singular to create llevé:

• yo llevé – I carried

One more time add the regular ending -aste for the second person singular to create llevaste:

• tú llevaste – you carried

Also as in the previous case add the regular ending -ó for the third person singular to create llevó:

• él llevó – he carried
• ella llevó – she carried
• usted llevó – (formal) you carried

And again add the regular ending -amos for the first person plural to create llevamos:

• nosotros llevamos – we carried
• nosotras llevamos – (feminine) we carried

And similarly add the regular ending -asteis for the second person plural to create llevasteis:

• vosotros llevasteis – (plural) you carried
• vosotras llevasteis – (feminine, plural) you carried

Like previously add the regular ending -aron for the third person plural to create llevaron:

• ellos llevaron – they carried
• ellas llevaron – (feminine) they carried
• ustedes llevaron – (formal, plural) you carried

¡Ya está! The conjugation is now finished. The final result looks as follows:

yo	llevé	I carried
tú	llevaste	you carried
él/ella/usted	llevó	he/she/it carried
nosotros/nosotras	llevamos	we carried
vosotros/vosotras	llevasteis	you carried
ellos/ellas/ustedes	llevaron	they carried

Click to see all conjugation charts of llevar in every tense
But do not end your session yet – it’s important to repeat and practice the material in order to remember it. Check below for example phrases and suggestions.

Example sentences

Next Steps to Perfection To practice this conjugation and test your skills try this Conjugation Exercise or the Memory Game To see other conjugation lessons for this verb choose another tense: Presente (indicativo)Imperfecto (indicativo)Condicional (indicativo)Futuro (indicativo)Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto (indicativo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto (indicativo)Futuro Perfecto (indicativo)Condicional Perfecto (indicativo)Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto A (subjuntivo)Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto B (subjuntivo)Futuro Perfecto (subjuntivo)  For exercises and examples related to llevar visit our Exercise section To see conjugation charts in all tenses for llevar visit the Conjugator To explore other learning materials visit the Study section

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