Los verbos ir, venir y llevar expresan movimiento o transporte. Sus versiones reflexivas irse, venirse y llevarse añaden énfasis, intención o implicación personal.

(The verbs ir, venir and llevar express movement or transport. Their reflexive forms irse, venirse and llevarse add emphasis, intention or personal involvement.)

Ir / irse, venir / venirse, llevar / llevarse: the core idea

  • Ir, venir, llevar = neutral movement.
  • Irse, venirse, llevarse = movement + personal involvement or leaving / taking with you.

Think of the forms with -se as: “I disconnect from here / I take it with me / I really come along”.

1. Ir vs. irse: to go vs. to leave

  • Ir = to go to a place (destination).
  • Irse = to leave / to go away from a place (you stop being there).
Meaning Form Example What to feel / imagine
Going to a place ir Voy a la oficina. Path towards office.
Leaving a place irse Me voy de la oficina. Cut connection, you are no longer there.

Typical uses of ir:

  • With a destination: Voy a casa.
  • With time or frequency: Voy al gimnasio los martes.

Typical uses of irse:

  • End of the working day: Me voy del trabajo a las seis.
  • You decide to leave: Estoy cansado, me voy.

Quick self-check:

  • Ask: “Is the focus on where I go?” → use ir.
  • Ask: “Is the focus on stopping being here?” → use irse.

2. Venir vs. venirse: to come vs. to (really) come along

  • Venir = to come / arrive somewhere, neutral.
  • Venirse = to come (along) with more decision, involvement, or joining a group.
Meaning Form Example Nuance
Simply come / arrive venir ¿Vienes a la reunión? Just asking if you will be there.
Join in, come along venirse Él se viene con nosotros al evento. He’s joining our group, a bit more emotional.

In many cases, both are possible:

  • Él viene con nosotros. (neutral fact)
  • Él se viene con nosotros. (he’s really coming along with us, feels more “with us”)

At A2 level, it is always safe to use venir. You will still be perfectly understood.

Quick self-check:

  • If you simply mean “come here / come to X” → venir.
  • If you want to highlight “come with us / join us” → venirse is possible.

3. Llevar vs. llevarse: to take vs. to take with you (for yourself)

  • Llevar = to take / carry something to another place.
  • Llevarse = to take something with you, often with the idea of “keeping it / removing it from here”.
Meaning Form Example Key idea
Transport something llevar Llevo las facturas a contabilidad. You move them, but they can stay there.
Take it away with you llevarse Me llevo el portátil a casa. You remove it from here and keep it with you.

Typical uses of llevar:

  • Work tasks: Llevo los contratos al despacho del jefe.
  • Deliveries: La empresa lleva productos a otros países.

Typical uses of llevarse:

  • Personal belongings: Me llevo mi bolso.
  • Taking things away: Se lleva los documentos a su casa.

Quick self-check:

  • “I move it somewhere” → llevar.
  • “I take it away with me / I keep it” → llevarse.

4. Where to put the pronoun (me, te, se…)

For the reflexive forms (irse, venirse, llevarse) you need a pronoun: me, te, se, nos, os, se.

With a normal conjugated verb:

  • Pronoun goes before the verb.
Correct Incorrect
Me voy de la oficina. Voyme de la oficina.
Te llevas el portátil. Llevas te el portátil.
Se viene con nosotros. Viene se con nosotros.

Very simple rule for now (A2):

  • Form with -se → always add me / te / se / nos / os / se.
  • Put the pronoun directly before the verb form: me voy, te vas, se va, nos vamos…

5. Step-by-step: how to choose the correct verb

  1. Step 1 – Is it about going to or leaving from?
    • Going to a place → ir.
    • Leaving / going away from a place → irse.
    • Test: Can you add de + lugar (from + place)? Then it’s usually irse.
      Example: Me voy de la reunión, Nos vamos de la empresa.
  2. Step 2 – Is it about coming to you / here?
    • Basic “come” → venir.
    • “Come along with us” (more emotional) → you may use venirse.
    • At A2, if unsure: choose venir.
  3. Step 3 – Is there an object you move?
    • Only transport: → llevar.
    • Take it with you / remove it: → llevarse.
    • Question to ask: “Does the object leave this place with me?” → then llevarse.

6. Mini contrast: pairs you often confuse

Spanish English meaning What to remember
Voy a casa. I go home. Focus: destination.
Me voy de casa. I leave home / I move out. Focus: leaving that place.
Vienes a mi oficina. You come to my office. Neutral, simple movement.
Te vienes conmigo. You come along with me. You join me, more involvement.
Llevo los informes al director. I take the reports to the manager. Work task, just transport.
Me llevo el informe a casa. I take the report home with me. I remove it from work and keep it.

7. Common mistakes to avoid

  • Inventing forms like voyse, vieneste
    • Correct: me voy, te vienes, se lleva.
  • Forgetting the pronoun with -se
    • Viene con nosotros (if you want emphasis “join us”).
    • Use: Se viene con nosotros for the “join us” nuance.
  • Wrong pronoun position
    • Llevo me el portátil → Me llevo el portátil.
    • Vienes te a la fiesta → Te vienes a la fiesta.
  • Using ir instead of venir from the listener’s perspective
    • Speaker is at home: ¿Vienes a mi casa? (not ¿Vas a mi casa?).
    • Tip: if the place is where I am → use venir.

8. Self-check: can you now do this?

Read each point and check yourself (yes / not yet):

  • I can explain in my own words the difference between ir and irse.
  • I know when to choose venir instead of ir (when the place is where the speaker is).
  • I understand that venirse and llevarse add personal involvement (“come along”, “take with you”).
  • I always put the pronoun before the verb: me voy, te llevas, se viene…
  • Given a sentence in English, I can decide if I need: ir / irse / venir / venirse / llevar / llevarse.

If one point is “not yet”, reread the corresponding section and say the examples out loud with your own details (my office, my city, my routine). This will make the contrast automatic in conversation.

Verbo (Verb)Significado (Meaning)Ejemplo (Example)
IrMovimiento hacia un lugar (Movement towards a place)Voy al trabajo. (I go to work.)
IrseSalir de un lugar (énfasis) (To leave a place (emphasis))Me voy de la empresa. (I’m leaving the company.)
VenirLlegar (To arrive / to come)¿Vienes a la gestoría? (Are you coming to the accountant’s office?)
VenirseLlegar con fuerza o decisión (To come with determination)Se viene con nosotros. (He/She is coming with us.)
LlevarTransportar algo a otro lugar (To take/transport something to another place)Llevo mi maletín al trabajo. (I take my briefcase to work.)
LlevarseTomar algo consigo (To take something with oneself)Se lleva el ordenador a casa. (He/She takes the computer home.)

 

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Cada mañana ___ a la gestoría y luego ___ a visitar a los clientes.

Every morning ___ to the accounting office and then ___ to visit the clients.)

2. Mañana ___ a mi oficina y ___ el maletín con los contratos.

Tomorrow ___ to my office and ___ the briefcase with the contracts.)

3. Hoy ___ pronto de la tienda y mi socio se queda con los clientes.

Today ___ early from the shop and my partner stays with the clients.)

4. Cuando voy a la gestoría siempre ___ las facturas y a veces ___ también mi portátil.

When I go to the accounting office I always ___ the invoices and sometimes ___ my laptop as well.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in each block to practice the difference between ir/irse, venir/venirse, and llevar/llevarse in work and daily life contexts.

1.
The form 'voyse' does not exist; the correct reflexive form is 'me voy'.
'Ir' without a pronoun does not express the action of leaving with the reflexive intention required here.
2.
The pronoun placement is incorrect; 'me' should not come before 'las'.
'Llevarse' implies taking something for oneself; here the invoices are only being transported, not taken for oneself.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences using ir/irse, venir/venirse or llevar/llevarse correctly according to the meaning: normal movement (ir, venir, llevar) or with emphasis/personal involvement (irse, venirse, llevarse).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Hint Hint (irse) Cada día yo salgo de la oficina a las seis.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Cada día me voy de la oficina a las seis.
    (Cada día me voy de la oficina a las seis.)
  2. Mañana yo llego a la gestoría contigo, ¿vale?
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Mañana me vienes a la gestoría contigo, ¿vale?
    (Mañana vienes a la gestoría conmigo, ¿vale?)
  3. Hint Hint (llevar) Todos los días yo transporto la mochila al trabajo.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Todos los días llevo la mochila al trabajo.
    (Todos los días llevo la mochila al trabajo.)
  4. Hint Hint (llevarse) Después de la reunión, ellos toman los ordenadores consigo a casa.
    ⇒ _______________________________________________ Example
    Después de la reunión, ellos se llevan los ordenadores a casa.
    (Después de la reunión, ellos se llevan los ordenadores a casa.)

Exercise 4: Grammar in action

Instruction: Talk and decide who goes, who leaves and what they take.

Show/Hide translation
Situation
En la gestoría, organizas con tu socio la apertura del nuevo negocio.
(At the gestoría, you and your partner organize the opening of the new business.)
Discuss
  • ¿Quién va a la gestoría y quién viene a tu oficina? (Who goes to the gestoría and who comes to your office?)
  • Cuando termine la reunión, ¿quién se va primero y por qué? (When the meeting ends, who leaves first and why?)
Useful words and phrases
  • Yo voy a la gestoría; tú vienes a mi oficina. (I’ll go to the gestoría; you come to my office.)
  • Cuando terminemos, me voy pronto; tengo otra reunión. (When we finish, I’ll leave early; I have another meeting.)
  • Llevo el maletín y me llevo las tarjetas de visita. (I’ll take the briefcase and bring the business cards with me.)
Use in conversation
  • ir/irse (ir/irse)
  • venir/venirse (venir/venirse)
  • llevar/llevarse (llevar/llevarse)

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Anja Radovanovic

Language sciences

Ca' Foscari University of Venice

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Last Updated:

Saturday, 07/03/2026 04:08