What does "llevar (tiempo)" mean?

The chunk "llevar (tiempo)" is the most natural way to say "I have been [doing something/somewhere] for [amount of time]." While English uses the present perfect, Spanish often uses llevar in the present tense to show an action that started in the past and is still happening now.

Examples

1. Llevo ya tres años viviendo en esta ciudad.
I have already been living in this city for three years. (presente de indicativo)
2. En 2010, ya llevaba cinco años en la misma empresa.
In 2010, I had already been at the same company for five years. (imperfecto de indicativo)
3. Llevé dos meses en ese puesto antes de que me ascendieran.
I was in that position for two months before I was promoted. (pretérito)
4. Para el lunes, llevaré una semana de vacaciones.
By Monday, I will have been on vacation for a week. (futuro)
5. Yo llevaría más tiempo aquí si el clima fuera mejor.
I would have been here longer if the weather were better. (potencial simple)
6. Es increíble que él ya lleve diez horas trabajando.
It's incredible that he has already been working for ten hours. (presente de subjuntivo)
7. Si yo llevara más tiempo practicando, sería experto.
If I had been practicing for more time, I would be an expert. (imperfecto de subjuntivo)
8. He llevado mucho tiempo esperando esta oportunidad.
I have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. (perfecto de indicativo)
9. Antes de la mudanza, ya había llevado dos años en ese apartamento.
Before the move, I had already been in that apartment for two years. (pluscuamperfecto)
10. Apenas hube llevado el tiempo suficiente, me dieron el certificado.
As soon as I had been there long enough, they gave me the certificate. (pretérito anterior)
11. Para Navidad, ya habré llevado este ritmo por seis meses.
By Christmas, I will have already kept this pace for six months. (futuro perfecto)
12. Él habría llevado más tiempo en el equipo si hubiera tenido apoyo.
He would have been on the team longer if he had had support. (potencial compuesto)
13. Me alegra que hayas llevado bien el tiempo de espera.
I'm glad you handled the waiting time well. (perfecto de subjuntivo)
14. Si hubieras llevado más tiempo estudiando, hablarías mejor.
If you had been studying for longer, you would speak better. (pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)
15. ¡Lleva al menos un año en el país antes de decidir si te gusta!
Stay (carry time) for at least a year in the country before deciding if you like it! (imperativo context)