transportar
verbCEFR B2
What does “transportar” mean in English?
to transport, to carry
to transport, to carry (transportar + noun — move goods or people from place to place)
Example sentences
La nueva infraestructura ferroviaria transportará mercancías entre los dos países en menos de cuatro horas.
The new rail infrastructure will transport goods between the two countries in under four hours.
La obra era tan envolvente que transportaba al espectador a la España de los años veinte sin esfuerzo.
The work was so immersive that it transported the spectator to the Spain of the nineteen-twenties effortlessly.
Cada día, miles de camiones transportan alimentos frescos desde las zonas agrícolas hasta las ciudades.
Every day, thousands of lorries transport fresh food from agricultural areas to the cities.
How to use it
Transportar means 'to transport' or 'to carry'. It always implies movement of goods or people from one location to another: transportar mercancías, transportar pasajeros, transportar materiales. The noun is transporte (transport, the system). Figurative use: la novela nos transporta a otro siglo (the novel transports us to another century). At B2, both the logistical sense and the figurative literary sense are appropriate.
Common mistake
Transportar vs. llevar: llevar is the everyday verb for carrying/taking (llevo a los niños al colegio); transportar implies organised, often large-scale movement of cargo or passengers as a logistical operation. The false friend trap: 'transport' in English includes local commuting, but in Spanish transportar is more formal/logistical — for everyday movement of people use desplazarse or llevar.