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"to carry" in seven languages

Meaningto carry

Spanish

llevar

/ʝeˈbaɾ/

other source · Latin LEVĀRE 'to lift'

Portar exists but is formal; portarse means 'to behave'.

French

porter

/pɔʁte/

inherited

Also 'to wear'.

Italian

portare

/porˈtare/

inherited

Also 'to bring' and 'to wear'.

Portuguese

levar

/leˈvah/

other source · Latin LEVĀRE 'to lift'

Like Spanish llevar; carregar 'to load, carry' is also common.

Romanian

duce

/ˈdutʃe/

other source · Latin DŪCERE 'to lead'

Purta, from PORTĀRE, means 'to carry about' and 'to wear'.

Catalan

portar

/purˈta/

inherited

Also 'to bring' and 'to wear'.

English

carry

/ˈkæɹi/

other source · Anglo-Norman carier, from Latin CARRUS 'wagon'

English → Italianto carryportareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: porter, portable, transport, import.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

  • llevar (Catalan) means “to remove, take off; (llevar-se) to get up” · llevar (Spanish) means “to carry, take; to wear”

    Both from Latin LEVĀRE 'to lift'. Spanish lifts and carries; Catalan lifts away (lleva't la jaqueta 'take your jacket off') or lifts itself, like French se lever. Catalan carries with portar.

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

PORTĀRE‘to carry’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

French and Italian carry with PORTĀRE; Spanish lifts with LEVĀRE (llevar). English carry is a Norman word about wagons, from the same CARRUS as car and charge.

English relatives: porter, portable, transport, import

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In a sentence

  • es¿Puedes llevar esta bolsa?
  • frTu peux porter ce sac ?
  • itPuoi portare questa borsa?
  • ptVocê pode levar esta bolsa?
  • roPoți să duci geanta asta?
  • caPots portar aquesta bossa?
  • enCan you carry this bag?

The Latin family

PORT-· carry

PORTĀRE is the ordinary 'carry' of French (porter) and Italian (portare); Spanish prefers llevar (LEVĀRE 'to lift') and keeps portar for 'to bear' and portarse 'to behave'. Its prefixed forms travelled widely as learned words — and one of them, via Old French, became English sport. Romanian purta and Catalan portar are everyday 'carry' verbs; Portuguese, like Spanish, carries with levar.

  • PORTĀREto carry

    esportarfrporteritportareptportarropurtacaportar

  • IMPORTĀREto carry in

    esimportarfrimporteritimportareptimportarroimportacaimportarenimport

  • SUPPORTĀREto carry up, bear

    essoportarfrsupporteritsopportareptsuportarrosuportacasuportarensupport

  • TRANSPORTĀREto carry across

    estransportarfrtransporterittrasportarepttransportarrotransportacatransportarentransport

  • DĒPORTĀREto carry away

    esdeportefrdéporteritdiportoptesporterosportcaesport

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