Levar vs. trazer
The Portuguese verbs levar and trazer can be confusing as they both relate to carrying or moving something. The fundamental difference lies in the direction of the action relative to the speaker. One implies movement away, while the other implies movement towards.
Levar
A1The verb levar means to take or to carry something or someone away from the speaker or the point of reference. The movement is always directed to another place, away from where the speaker is.
Vou levar este bolo para a sua casa.
(I will take this cake to your house.)
Não se esqueça de levar o guarda-chuva, pois vai chover.
(Don't forget to take the umbrella, because it is going to rain.)
Ele levou as crianças ao parque.
(He took the children to the park.)
Podes levar estes documentos para o escritório, por favor?
(Can you take these documents to the office, please?)
Amanhã vou levar o meu carro para a oficina.
(Tomorrow I will take my car to the mechanic's shop.)
Ela sempre leva comida para o trabalho.
(She always takes food to work.)
Trazer
A1The verb trazer means to bring something or someone towards the speaker's location. The movement is always directed towards the speaker or the point of reference.
Quando vier à minha casa, pode trazer o bolo?
(When you come to my house, can you bring the cake?)
Por favor, traga-me um copo de água.
(Please, bring me a glass of water.)
O que você trouxe para a festa?
(What did you bring to the party?)
O carteiro trouxe uma carta para você.
(The mailman brought a letter for you.)
Eles vão trazer os amigos para jantar aqui em casa.
(They will bring their friends to have dinner here at home.)
A sua visita trouxe muita alegria para nós.
(Your visit brought a lot of joy to us.)
Summary
In essence, the choice is simple: if the movement is away from you, use levar (to take there). If the movement is towards you, use trazer (to bring here). Think of levar as go with and trazer as come with.