conllevar

Conllevar is a Spanish verb that means to entail, to involve, or to bring with it as a consequence. It is transitive and typically used to indicate that an action, decision, or situation carries certain outcomes, such as costs, risks, responsibilities, or other consequences. The verb can be used without a preposition to denote the consequence (conllevar costos, conllevar riesgos, conllevar consecuencias) or with a following phrase to express a result (conllevar a, conllevar que + subjunctive).

Etymology and usage are straightforward: conllevar is formed from the prefix con- plus llevar (to carry), yielding the metaphorical sense of “carrying together” or “bringing along” consequences. It is a neutral, formal term commonly found in journalism, law, policy analysis, and academic writing. In informal speech, speakers may prefer synonyms such as implicar or acarrear, depending on nuance.

Conjugation and examples: conllevar is a regular -ar verb, so it follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs. Present usage: “La reforma conlleva costos.” Past usage: “La medida conllevó un incremento de precios.” Potential future impact: “Esta decisión podría conllevar a protestas.” The phrase can also appear with “a” to emphasize the result, especially in more formal prose.