IDIOMS:
por allí = around there; that way
por aquí = around here; this way
por ejemplo = for example
por eso = therefore; that's why
por favor = please
por fin = at least; finally
por (lo) general = generally; as a rule
por medio de = by means of
por mi lado= by me; by my side; at my side
por lo visto= apparently
Por lo que veo = I can see that....
por los menos = at least
por primera vez = for the first time
por separado = separately
por supuesto = of course
por cierto = by the way; certainly
por todas partes = everywhere
por todos lados = all over; everywhere; on all sides
por algún lado = somewhere
* por ninguna parte = anywhere (in negative)
* por ningún lado = anywhere (in negative)
*- Ej.) No puedo encontrar la pluma por ninguna parte/ por ningún lado.= I can't find the pen anywhere.
VERBS:
abogar por = to please on behalf of something or someone
acabar por = to end by, to wind up doing something
apurarse por = to worry oneself about, fret over something, someone
cambiar por= to exchange something; to change something into something else
clasificar por = to classify in/by something
dar gracias por= to thank for, give thanks for something
esforzarse por = to strive for something
estar por = to be inclined to do something; to be in favor of doing something
hacer por = to try to do something
impacientarse por = to grow impatient for; to be impatient to someone, something
llorar por = to cry for/about someone, something
luchar por = to struggle for something
mandar por = to send via something (mail)
mirar por = to care about, worry about someone
morirse por = to be dying for something
ofenderse por = to be offended by something
optar por = to choose, opt for something
preocuparse por = to worry about someone, something
rabiar por = to be crazy about someone, something
terminar por = to end by doing something
trabajar por = to work for/ on behalf of someone (substitute)
votar por = to vote for someone, something
Monday, December 13, 2010
Llevar v. Traer
Llevar is one of the most important verbs in Spanish. It can mean a multitude of things: to take, to wear, to carry, to transport, etc. (Llevar is also used for a lot of idiomatic expressions in Spanish which will hopefully be covered at another time.)
Traer, meanwhile, is most commonly translated as "to bring". (Remember: traer is an irregular verb in most Spanish verb tenses. For the conjugations of traer, click here).
So llevar= to take, while traer= to bring, right? Yes. But if you are literally translating the words, then you will find yourself wrong 50% of the time.
While "taking" and "bringing" are often used interchangeably in English, it's not the same case in Spanish.
For example, in English you can say the following sentences:
1. I'm bringing my son to the doctor's.
2. I'm taking my son to the doctor's.
Both sentences mean the same thing.
But in Spanish, you can only say the following:
1. Llevo mi hijo al médico.
Why does only llevar work and not traer? Why would the sentence "Traigo mi hijo al médico" not be considered correct?
In Spanish, you cannot bring something or somebody (traer algo o alguien) if it's already in the location of the speaker. Instead, of "bringing" it, you are "taking" it with you. Thus, llevar has to be used.
1. I have to take these books to the library. - Tengo que llevar esos libros a la biblioteca.
2. She used to take her kids to school every day. - Ella llevaba a sus hijos a la escuela todos los días.
So when are you supposed to use traer? Traer should only be used when something that is away from the speaker is being brought toward the speaker.
1. Could you bring me a glass of red wine, please? - ¿Me trae una copa de vino tinto, por favor?
2. Where is the newspaper that you had brought to me? - ¿Dónde está el periódico que me habías traído?
In a nutshell:
Llevar is away from the speaker's location, while traer is toward the speaker's location.
* Use llevar when an object is being moved from the location of the speaker to another location. (to take away from the speaker)
* Use traer when an object is being moved from another location to the location of the speaker (to bring toward the speaker)
Interesting notes:
* When you are ordering at a fast-food restaurant, you will commonly here the question, ¿Para [comer] aquí o para llevar?, which means, For here or to go? In this case, you use llevar because you would be taking the food away from the restaurant (your current location) to another location.
* Emphasizing llevar as "to take away" instead of just "to take" can help you when deciding between using llevar and tomar (another verb for "to take"). When in doubt, ask yourself if you can add "away" to the sentence and it would still make sense. If so, use llevar. If not, then your choice is tomar. (Though make sure not to forgot about another verb sacar, which means to take out something or to take photos).
Traer, meanwhile, is most commonly translated as "to bring". (Remember: traer is an irregular verb in most Spanish verb tenses. For the conjugations of traer, click here).
So llevar= to take, while traer= to bring, right? Yes. But if you are literally translating the words, then you will find yourself wrong 50% of the time.
While "taking" and "bringing" are often used interchangeably in English, it's not the same case in Spanish.
For example, in English you can say the following sentences:
1. I'm bringing my son to the doctor's.
2. I'm taking my son to the doctor's.
Both sentences mean the same thing.
But in Spanish, you can only say the following:
1. Llevo mi hijo al médico.
Why does only llevar work and not traer? Why would the sentence "Traigo mi hijo al médico" not be considered correct?
In Spanish, you cannot bring something or somebody (traer algo o alguien) if it's already in the location of the speaker. Instead, of "bringing" it, you are "taking" it with you. Thus, llevar has to be used.
1. I have to take these books to the library. - Tengo que llevar esos libros a la biblioteca.
2. She used to take her kids to school every day. - Ella llevaba a sus hijos a la escuela todos los días.
So when are you supposed to use traer? Traer should only be used when something that is away from the speaker is being brought toward the speaker.
1. Could you bring me a glass of red wine, please? - ¿Me trae una copa de vino tinto, por favor?
2. Where is the newspaper that you had brought to me? - ¿Dónde está el periódico que me habías traído?
In a nutshell:
Llevar is away from the speaker's location, while traer is toward the speaker's location.
* Use llevar when an object is being moved from the location of the speaker to another location. (to take away from the speaker)
* Use traer when an object is being moved from another location to the location of the speaker (to bring toward the speaker)
Interesting notes:
* When you are ordering at a fast-food restaurant, you will commonly here the question, ¿Para [comer] aquí o para llevar?, which means, For here or to go? In this case, you use llevar because you would be taking the food away from the restaurant (your current location) to another location.
* Emphasizing llevar as "to take away" instead of just "to take" can help you when deciding between using llevar and tomar (another verb for "to take"). When in doubt, ask yourself if you can add "away" to the sentence and it would still make sense. If so, use llevar. If not, then your choice is tomar. (Though make sure not to forgot about another verb sacar, which means to take out something or to take photos).
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