Spanish · Everyday Verbs

"to carry" in Spanish: cargar

cargar

Say it: kahr-GAHR / KAHR-gohverb/kaɾ.ˈɡaɾ/

To carry in Spanish is cargar. Say yo cargo and ¿Me ayudas a cargar? Cargar also means to charge a phone.

Bags

Yo cargo las maletas al carro.
I carry the suitcases to the car.
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How to pronounce cargar

Say it

kahr-GAHR / KAHR-goh

/kaɾ.ˈɡaɾ/

kahr-GAHR. Yo cargo is KAHR-goh. Hard g.

"to carry" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
cargarto carry / to load / to charge

Infinitive.

yo cargoI carry

Present first person.

cargar la maletato carry/load the suitcase

Travel.

cargar el celularto charge the phone

Battery.

¿me ayudas a cargar?will you help me carry?

Heavy bag.

How to use cargar in real life

  1. 1Bags

    Yo cargo las maletas al carro.

    I carry the suitcases to the car.

    Yo cargo.

  2. 2Help

    ¿Me ayudas a cargar esta caja?

    Will you help me carry this box?

    Cargar + object.

  3. 3Phone

    Necesito cargar el celular ya.

    I need to charge the phone now.

    Cargar = charge too.

Mistakes English speakers make with cargar

Incorrect: Yo carry la bolsa.

Correct: Yo cargo la bolsa.

Use cargo / cargar, not English carry.

Incorrect: Cargo el teléfono en la mano (if you meant charge).

Correct: Cargo el teléfono / Voy a cargar el teléfono.

Cargar el teléfono usually means charge it; say llevar if you mean carry in hand.

Good to know

Cargar is load, carry, or charge—context decides. Llevar often means take/bring something along. For a bag in hand, both cargar and llevar appear; listen to locals.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Moving boxes into an apartment

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Cargo esta caja pesada?

    Shall I carry this heavy box?

  2. You

    Sí. Yo cargo las bolsas.

    Yes. I'll carry the bags.

  3. ChatPal

    Luego cargo el celular un rato.

    Later I'll charge the phone a bit.

  4. You

    Hay un enchufe en la cocina.

    There's an outlet in the kitchen.

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"to carry" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to carry" in Spanish

How do I say I carry?

Yo cargo.

Does cargar mean charge?

Yes—cargar el celular is everyday.

Cargar vs llevar?

Both move things; llevar often means take along.

How do you pronounce cargo?

KAHR-goh, hard g.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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