⚓ A2 · Spanish Grammar · Movement & Direction Verbs
IR · VENIR · LLEVAR · TRAER
Four essential verbs of movement and direction — understanding who goes where, and who brings or takes what.
The Big Picture
The Key to All Four Verbs: Perspective
All four verbs describe movement, but differ in two ways: direction (away from or toward the speaker) and whether a person or object travels. Get the perspective right, and you’ll always choose the correct verb.
HERE
(speaker)
(speaker)
IR
away →
← toward
VENIR
LLEVAR
take away →
← bring here
TRAER
THERE
(destination)
(destination)
| Verb | What moves? | Direction | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ir | Person/subject | Away from speaker | to go |
| venir | Person/subject | Toward speaker | to come |
| llevar | Object/person | Away from speaker | to take / carry |
| traer | Object/person | Toward speaker | to bring |
🧭
The golden rule: Ir and llevar move things AWAY from you. Venir and traer bring things TOWARD you. Same as English: “go vs come” and “take vs bring”.
Speaker’s perspective
It’s All About Point of View
The choice of verb depends on where the speaker is — not where the action happens. The same event can be described differently depending on your viewpoint.
🏠 You are AT HOME
“Ven a casa.”
Come (to my house). The person moves TOWARD you → venir
“Ve al mercado.”
Go (away from home) to the market → ir
🏙️ You are AT THE PARTY
“¿Vienes a la fiesta?”
Are you coming (here, to the party)? → venir (toward where you are)
“Voy a ir a la fiesta.”
I’m going to go to the party. → ir (away from where I am now)
📍
Classic mistake: A Spanish speaker at home calling a friend says “¿Vienes a mi casa?” (Are you coming to my house?). An English speaker might say “Are you going to come?” — note: if you’re at the party, you’d say “¿Vas a venir?”
📞
On the phone: If you’re calling someone to join you, use venir (they come to where you are). If you’ll go to them, use ir. Same as English “come” vs “go”!
Movement away
IR — to go
Completely irregular. The subject moves away from the speaker’s location.
IR
to go
yovoy
túvas
él/ellava
nosotrosvamos
vosotrosvais
ellosvan
➡️
Use: ir + a + place. “Voy a la tienda.” Note: also used for ir a + infinitive (near future).
Movement toward
VENIR — to come
Irregular (e→ie stem change + irregular yo). Subject moves toward the speaker.
VENIR
to come
yovengo
túvienes
él/ellaviene
nosotrosvenimos
vosotrosvenís
ellosvienen
⬅️
Use: venir + a + place (where speaker is). “Ven a mi casa.” Yo = vengo (irregular!)
Carrying away
LLEVAR — to take/carry
Regular -AR verb. You take/carry something away from where you (the speaker) currently are.
LLEVAR
to take/carry
yollevo
túllevas
él/ellalleva
nosotrosllevamos
vosotroslleváis
ellosllevan
🎒
Use: llevar + object + a + place. “Llevo el libro a clase.” Also: “to wear” (clothing)!
Bringing toward
TRAER — to bring
Irregular (yo form only!). You bring something toward where the speaker currently is.
TRAER
to bring
yotraigo
tútraes
él/ellatrae
nosotrostraemos
vosotrostraéis
ellostraen
🎁
Use: traer + object. “Trae el vino a la cena.” Yo = traigo (irregular, ends in -go!)
Go vs Come
IR vs VENIR — Who moves, and where?
The key question: away from the speaker (ir) or toward the speaker (venir)?
IR — going away
Voy al trabajo.
I’m going to work (away from home).
Ellos van a Madrid.
They’re going to Madrid.
¿Vas al cine?
Are you going to the cinema?
Vamos a la playa.
Let’s go to the beach! / We go…
VENIR — coming toward
Ven aquí, por favor.
Come here, please. (toward me)
¿Vienes a la fiesta?
Are you coming to the party? (where I am)
Vengo del trabajo.
I’m coming from work (toward home).
Vienen a visitarme.
They’re coming to visit me.
⚠️
Common error: “I’m going to come” in Spanish uses ir: “Voy a ir” (I’m going to go). Only use venir when the movement is toward the speaker’s current location.
Both in the same conversation:
— ¿Vas a la fiesta esta noche?
— Are you going to the party tonight? (speaker not at party)
— Sí, ¡voy! ¿Tú también vienes?
— Yes, I’m going! Are you coming too? (now at the party)
Take vs Bring
LLEVAR vs TRAER — Object direction
The same as ir/venir, but the object moves, not just the person. Llevar = take away · Traer = bring here.
LLEVAR — take/carry away
Llevo el paraguas.
I’ll take the umbrella (with me, out).
¿Llevas algo de comer?
Are you taking something to eat?
Lleva a los niños al colegio.
Take the children to school.
¿Qué llevas puesto?
What are you wearing?
TRAER — bring here
Trae el vino.
Bring the wine (here/to me).
¿Me traes un café?
Will you bring me a coffee?
Traje los documentos.
I brought the documents. (past)
¿Qué traes?
What are you bringing?
🎯
At a dinner party: The host says “Trae algo de beber” (Bring something to drink — toward my house). The guest going to the shop says “Llevo el vino” (I’ll take/bring the wine — taking it away from the shop).
👗
LLEVAR also means “to wear”! “¿Qué llevas?” = “What are you wearing?” This is a separate meaning but very common. “Llevo una chaqueta azul.” = “I’m wearing a blue jacket.”
Special uses
Other uses of these verbs
Llevar + time: Llevo dos horas esperando.
I’ve been waiting for two hours. (duration)
llevar + time expression + gerund = how long you’ve been doing something
Venir + de: Vengo del médico.
I’m coming from the doctor’s. (origin of movement)
venir + de = to come from a place
Llevar + object + adjective: Lleva el pelo corto.
He/She has short hair. (habitual state)
Describing someone’s appearance — very common!
Traer in imperatives: ¡Tráeme la carta!
Bring me the menu! (common in restaurants)
Waiter → ¿Me trae la cuenta? / ¿Me traes más pan?
Ir en: Voy en metro / en coche / a pie.
I go by metro / by car / on foot.
ir + en + transport = how you travel somewhere
Venir bien/mal: ¿Te viene bien el martes?
Does Tuesday suit you? / Is Tuesday convenient?
venir bien/mal = to suit / not suit someone
In real conversations
💬 All four verbs in context
Este verano vamos a la playa.
This summer we’re going to the beach. (ir — away)
¿Cuándo vienes a verme?
When are you coming to see me? (venir — toward speaker)
Lleva el paraguas — va a llover.
Take the umbrella — it’s going to rain. (llevar — away)
¿Qué traigo a la fiesta?
What shall I bring to the party? (traer — toward host)
Llevo tres años estudiando español.
I’ve been studying Spanish for three years. (llevar + time)
Ella viene de una familia muy grande.
She comes from a very big family. (venir de = to come from)
Siempre lleva traje al trabajo.
He always wears a suit to work. (llevar = to wear)
¿Me trae la cuenta, por favor?
Could you bring me the bill, please? (traer — toward diner)
1
Fill in with the correct verb form
– Choose from ir, venir, llevar or traer and conjugate correctly.
Mañana al médico. ir · yo
¿Por qué no a mi cumpleaños el sábado? venir · tú
el paraguas — va a llover mucho. llevar · tú, imperative
¿Qué tú a la cena? — Un poco de vino. traer · tú
Mis abuelos a visitarnos cada Navidad. venir · ellos
tres horas esperando el autobús. llevar · yo
¿Me la carta, por favor? traer · usted
Nosotros al extranjero cada verano. ir · nosotros
🏆
2
Which verb fits?
– Identify whether IR, VENIR, LLEVAR or TRAER is used in each sentence.
¡Ven aquí ahora mismo!
Siempre llevo las llaves en el bolsillo.
¿Me traes un vaso de agua?
El domingo vamos todos al parque.
Lleva un año viviendo en España.
Traigo los documentos que me pediste.
⭐
3
Correct or Incorrect?
– Is the bold verb the correct choice?
Estoy en casa — ¿cuándo vas a venir a verme?
✔ Correct! You’re at home asking the other person to come TOWARD you — so venir is right. But vas a venir = you’re going to come (from their perspective, they use ir → vas a).
Mañana traigo a los niños al colegio.
✘ Incorrect! You’re taking the children AWAY from home to school — use llevo: “Llevo a los niños al colegio.” Traer = bring toward the speaker.
Llevan tres meses viviendo juntos.
✔ Correct! Llevar + time + gerund = duration of an ongoing action. “They have been living together for three months.”
La reunión es aquí — ¿vienes?
✔ Correct! The speaker IS at the meeting location, so the other person would move TOWARD them — venir is right.
¿Qué llevas a la fiesta de Pablo? — Un pastel.
✘ Tricky! Both llevas and traes could work depending on perspective. If you (the speaker) are NOT yet at Pablo’s party, you’d take the cake there → “¿Qué llevas?” is actually correct here! Both work but llevar is more natural when not yet at the destination.
🌟
4
Put the words in order
– Build the sentence using the correct verb. Click the answer area to undo.
Sentence 1 — ir to a place:
Este
fin
de
semana
vamos
al
campo.
Click words above…
Sentence 2 — venir + invitation:
¿Por
qué
no
vienes
a
cenar
esta
noche?
Click words above…
Sentence 3 — traer to a meeting:
¿Puedes
traer
los
informes
a
la
reunión?
Click words above…
🎉