verb

traer

bring

Llevar algo o a alguien desde un lugar hasta donde está la persona que habla.

Definition & meaning

Traer is an irregular Spanish verb whose primary meaning is “to bring”: to move or carry someone or something toward the speaker, the listener, or a particular place.

Traer un libro — to bring a book
Traer a los niños a casa — to bring the children home

It can also have several related meanings:

To carry or wear something
- Trae una mochila azul. — He/She is carrying a blue backpack.
- Trae una chaqueta negra. — He/She is wearing a black jacket.
To cause or bring about
- La decisión trajo problemas. — The decision caused problems.
- La lluvia trae beneficios para el campo. — Rain brings benefits to the countryside.
To have or present a particular condition
- El coche trae aire acondicionado. — The car comes with air conditioning.
- El informe trae información importante. — The report contains important information.
To keep someone occupied, worried, or emotionally affected
- Este asunto me trae de cabeza. — This matter is driving me crazy.
- La noticia lo trae preocupado. — The news has him worried.

Grammar & Word origin

Traer is a transitive, irregular verb ending in -er. Its basic structure is:

traer + direct object: Traer comida — to bring food
traer + a + person: Traer a María — to bring María
traer + participle/adjective: Traer preparado — to have prepared; traer cansado — to have someone tired or to be looking tired

Important forms include:

Present: traigo, traes, trae, traemos, traéis, traen
Preterite: traje, trajiste, trajo, trajimos, trajisteis, trajeron
Present subjunctive: traiga, traigas, traiga, traigamos, traigáis, traigan
Gerund: trayendo
Past participle: traído

The present-tense first-person form traigo contains -ig-, while the preterite uses the irregular stem traj-. The form trajeron has -eron, not -ieron.

Historically, traer comes from Latin trahere, meaning “to pull” or “to draw.” Its modern meaning developed from the idea of pulling or carrying something toward a person or place.

A key contrast is:

Traer — to bring something toward the speaker, listener, or reference point
Llevar — to take or carry something away from the speaker or reference point

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

Llevar : can mean “to carry,” but it usually indicates movement away from the speaker or reference point. It is not a complete synonym of traer.
Transportar : to transport or move something from one place to another; more formal and focused on transportation.
Aportar : to contribute or provide something, especially an idea, resource, or benefit. It corresponds to the “bring about/provide” sense of traer.
Causar : to cause an effect or result; it matches the causal meaning of traer but does not imply physical movement.
Producir : to produce or generate a result, effect, or consequence.

Antonyms

Llevarse : to take something away, often emphasizing removal from a place.
Quitar : to remove or take something away from someone or somewhere.
Devolver : to return something to its original owner or place; it can be an opposite in contexts involving bringing something and then returning it.
Alejar : to move something farther away, opposite to bringing it closer.

Common phrases & collocations

Traer algo a alguien — to bring something to someone
Traer consigo — to bring or carry with oneself
Traer puesto — to be wearing
Traer en mente — to have in mind
Traer problemas — to cause problems
Traer consecuencias — to bring consequences
Traer buenas noticias — to bring good news
Traer de cabeza — to drive someone crazy or keep someone constantly occupied
Traer entre manos — to have something underway or secretly planned
¿Qué traes? — What is wrong with you? / What are you up to? Depending on context