The Spanish verb Traer (to bring) can bring us a lot of difficulties! But don’t let this discourage you! In this article, we have brought to you a complete guide on how to master this verb in the easiest way possible. First, we will look at the meaning and multiple ways to use Traer in different phrases. Next, we will learn how to conjugate Traer in the most used moods and tenses. And finally, we will do a little practice exercises at the end to put everything we have learned into practice. So, let’s see what Traer has brought to us in this article!
Different uses of the Spanish verb Traer
The first and most common way to use Traer is as the verb “to bring”.
Examples:
- Voy a traer comida china para el almuerzo. (I’m going to bring Chinese food for lunch).
- Ella trajo a una amiga a la fiesta. (She brought a friend to the party).
When you want to talk about something you carry or have on you:
- ¡Ay no! Está lloviendo y no traigo mi paraguas. (Oh no! It’s raining, and I didn’t bring my umbrella).
- ¿Traes dinero en efectivo? (Did you bring cash?).
When you want to talk about what you’re wearing or how you’re dressed:
- Traigo puesta la playera que me regalaste en mi cumpleaños. (I’m wearing the shirt you gave me for my birthday).
- Ana trae puesto un sombrero muy bonito. (Ana is wearing a very beautiful hat).
Normally, when you use Traer in this kind of situation, you use it in conjunction with the past participle of the verb Poner: puesto. So ‘traer puesto’ means to be wearing something.
When you want to talk about consequences.
Here, Traer can mean to provoke or to cause:
- La lluvia trajo muchas inundaciones. (The rain caused many floods).
- Eso me trajo muchos problemas. (That brought me a lot of problems).
To state what you bring with you:
- Me traje mi cámara para poder tomar fotos durante el viaje. (I brought my camera with me to take pictures during the trip).
Notice that for this sentence, we are using the reflexive form of the verb Traer, which is Traer(se). We’re using the reflexive form because we’re expressing ‘to bring with oneself’, meaning that is one of those actions that you do for yourself.
How to Conjugate Traer?
Infinitive Form
First, let’s not forget that we can also use Traer in its infinitive form in a sentence. The infinitive form is considered the basic form of a verb, and it is also the form of a verb to look for in a dictionary.
When you use Traer like this in a sentence, you will need a conjugated form of another verb. For example:
- Mariana va a traer a su prima a la reunión. (Mariana will bring her cousin to the meeting). – In this sentence, we are using Traer in its infinitive form with the conjugated form of the verb Ir: Va.
As you may probably know, Traer is an irregular verb; therefore, we have to pay a little bit of extra attention when conjugating this verb. Let’s take a look at the most common conjugations of the verb Traer.
Indicative Mood
Most common mood to conjugate verbs.
| Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Conditional | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | traigo | traje | traía | traería | traeré |
| Tú | traes | trajiste | traías | traerías | traerás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | trae | trajo | traía | traería | traerá |
| Nosotros | traemos | trajimos | traíamos | traeríamos | traeremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | traen | trajeron | traían | traerían | traerán |
Examples:
- Fernando trajo una botella de vino. (Fernando brought a bottle of wine).
- Su novio trae un coche último modelo. (Her boyfriend brings a late model car).
- ¿Me trajiste algo de Nueva York? (Did you bring me something from New York?).
Subjunctive Mood
We use the Subjunctive mood to express a variety of things, such as wishes, possibilities, feelings, and emotions, and to give our opinion.
| Present | Imperfect | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | traiga | trajera, trajese | trajere |
| Tú | traigas | trajeras, trajeses | trajeres |
| Él/Ella/Usted | traiga | trajera, trajese | trajere |
| Nosotros | traigamos | trajéramos, trajésemos | trajéremos |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | traigan | trajeran, trajesen | trajeren |
Examples:
- Me gustaría que me trajeras un recuerdo de Perú. (I would like you to bring me a souvenir from Peru).
- Quizás Daniela traiga a su mejor amiga a la fiesta. (Maybe Daniela will bring her best friend to the party).
Compound Tenses of the Subjunctive Mood
These compound tenses are formed by using the verb Haber in subjunctive mood + the past participle of Traer, which is ‘traído’.
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya traído | hubiera traído, hubiese traído |
| Tú | hayas traído | hubieras traído, hubieses traído |
| Él/Ella/Usted | haya traído | hubiera traído, hubiese traído |
| Nosotros | hayamos traído | hubiéramos traído, hubiésemos traído |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hayan traído | hubieran traído, hubiesen traído |
Examples:
- ¡Espero que hayan traído paraguas! Parece que va a llover. (I hope you guys brought an umbrella! It looks like it’s going to rain).
- Hubieras traído tu traje de baño para poder nadar en la piscina. (You would have brought your bathing suit so you could swim in the pool).
Imperative Mood
Used when you want to give orders or commands. Please notice that in the Imperative Mood, we cannot conjugate it with the personal pronouns Yo, Él/Ella, Ellos/Ellas.
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | trae | no traigas |
| Usted | traiga | no traiga |
| Nosotros | traigamos | no traigamos |
| Ustedes | traigan | no traigan |
Examples:
- Tráeme un chocolate cuando regreses de México. (Bring me a chocolate when you get back from Mexico).
- Trae a tu hermana a la fiesta. ¡La quiero conocer! (Bring your sister to the party. I want to meet her!).
- No traigas nada de comer a la reunión. Mi esposo hizo bastante comida. (Don’t bring anything to eat to the meeting. My husband made enough food).
Notice that in the first sentence, the conjugation varies a little bit since we’re using an indirect object pronoun (-me), to express ‘bring ME something’: Verb + -me, -le, -nos, -les.
Quiz/Worksheet for the Spanish Verb Traer
Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb Traer.
1. ¿Ya has visto a Miguel? ________ una moto nueva. (Have you seen Miguel? He brings a new motorcycle).
2. Fumar ________ muchas consecuencias para la salud. (Smoking has many health consequences).
3. Valeria ________ un pastel de chocolate riquísimo. (Valeria brought a very delicious chocolate cake).
4. Te reconocí porque ________ puesto el uniforme del colegio. (I recognized you because you’re wearing the school uniform).
5. ________ un dulce de la tienda. (Bring me a candy from the store).
6. ¿________ algo de beber? (Did you bring something to drink?)
7. ________________ zapatos más cómodos. Queremos ir a dar una caminata más tarde. (You would have brought more comfortable shoes. We want to go for a walk later).
8. ________ un abrigo tan grande. Está haciendo algo de calor aquí. (Don’t bring a very big coat. The weather has been kind of hot in here).
9. Me gustaría que ________ algún dulce típico de México. (I would like you to bring me some typical candy from Mexico).
10. ¿Vas a ________ a alguien más a la fiesta esta noche? (Are you going to bring someone else to the party tonight? ).
Answers to the exercise:
1. ¿Ya has visto a Miguel? Trae una moto nueva.
2. Fumar trae muchas consecuencias para la salud.
3. Valeria trajo un pastel de chocolate riquísimo.
4. Te reconocí porque traes puesto el uniforme del colegio.
5. Tráeme un dulce de la tienda.
6. ¿Trajiste algo de beber?
7. Hubieras/Hubieses traído zapatos más cómodos. Queremos ir a dar una caminata más tarde.
8. No traigas un abrigo tan grande. Está haciendo algo de calor aquí.
9. Me gustaría queme trajeras algún dulce típico de México.
10. ¿Vas a traer a alguien más a la fiesta esta noche?
Fun Fact
Do you know that ‘traje’ means suit in Spanish? Yes! Here we are not talking about the verb Traer, but rather about a piece of clothing. So, if you look at the title of this article, could you guess what it means? In English, it can be translated either as ‘The suit that I bring’ or ‘The suit that I’m wearing’.
We hope you enjoyed this article that we brought for you! If you have any questions, why not book a lesson with one of our tutors to practice everything you’ve learned from this blog? Remember that practice makes perfect! Until next time!
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