Amener, Emmener, Apporter, Emporter, Rapporter… To Bring and To Take in French


These French verbs are confusing for English speakers because they cannot be translated from their English counterpart: to bring and to take.
When it comes to using to Bring and to Take in French, you cannot just translate. The logic is a bit different in French, so you need to think as a French person would, therefore you need to really understand the meanings of the verb, or in this case, the meaning of the ābase verbsā porter and mener.
The key is to understand the meanings of the base verbs āporterā and āmenerā and the meaning of their prefixes āa-ā, āem-ā, āra-ā and ārem-ā.
1 ā To Bring and To Take in French ā Selecting the Base Verbs
A ā Porter ā Mener : Things ā People/Animals
The French verb āporterā means to carry, so itās used with inanimate objects.
- Je porte ma valise ā I carry my suitcase.
- Jāemporte mon parapluie en voyage ā Iām bringing my umbrella on my trip.
- Jāapporte une bouteille chez mon ami ā Iām bringing a bottle to my friendās house.
The verb āmenerā means to lead, so itās used with animate beings: people and animals.
- NapolĆ©on mĆØne ses armĆ©es ā Napoleon leads his armies.
- JāemmĆØne mon bĆ©bĆ© au restaurant ā Iām bringing my infant to the restaurant.
- JāamĆØne ma fille Ć lāĆ©cole ā Iām taking my daughter to school.
B ā The Prefixes a-, em-, ra- and rem-
Adding these prefixes to the ābase verbsā porter and mener, we get:
- From porter: apporter, emporter, rapporter and remporter.
- From mener: amener, emmener, ramener and remmener.
As explained in section 1:
- Prefix + porter is used with things and inanimate objects.
Ex: emporter ā to bring things - Prefix + mener is used with people and animals.
Ex: amener ā to bring a person
Unfortunately, just like in English with ābringā and ātakeā, you will hear many mistakes⦠The verbs based on āmenerā tend to be used more and more for people (as they should) AND things. Itās a very common mistake, most people donāt know that rule, so itās an āacceptedā mistake.

2 ā To Bring and To Take in French ā Choosing the Right Prefix
Once you have selected your correct ābase verbā, the question to ask is whether :
- you are accompanying, staying with the person, or keeping the thing with you,
- OR if you are just dropping it/him/her, leaving it/him/her at destination.
Then, selecting the correct prefix will translate the notion of bring or take in French.
- The prefix āAā in French means that you are going to leave the thing/person there. This is the idea behind āamenerā and āapporterā.
- The prefix āEmā in French means you are staying with the thing/person. This is the idea behind āemmenerā and āemporterā.
- The prefixes āra-ā and ārem-ā in French can mean either:
ā the repetition of an action
ā the return to a point of departure
ā the return of something to its normal place.
Frederica, in the Disqus comments says: āIn English, we ātakeā something/someone from here to there, and we ābringā something/someone with usā. So I guess there is a bit of a similarity here.

3 ā Examples for Bring and Take in French
- Jāemporte mon parapluie en voyage ā Iām bringing my umbrella on my trip. (Itās a thing and itās staying with me)
- JāemmĆØne mon bĆ©bĆ© au restaurant ā Iām bringing my infant to the restaurant. (He/she is a person and I am staying with him/her)
- Jāapporte une bouteille chez mon ami ā Iām taking a bottle to my friendās house . (Itās a thing and Iām leaving it there ā whether I help drinking it or not is not the point!)
- JāamĆØne ma fille Ć lāĆ©cole ā Iām taking my daughter to school. (Sheās a person and I am dropping her there)
Now, if you are super finicky, there are even more precise verbs that could be used: ā(re)conduireā if you are driving and not walking, ā(r)accompagnerā if you are just accompanying someone (for the pleasure of their company)ā¦
Someone once corrected my French when I said : ācāest moi qui amĆØne Leyla Ć lāĆ©cole le matinā using āamenerā (to take) instead of āconduireā (to drive)ā¦
4 ā More French Expressions With Amener, Emmener, Apporter, Emporter, Rapporter
- Remporter ā to win a competition.
Il a remportĆ© la finale. He won the final match. - Rapporter ā to bring something back, to return something.
Je dois rapporter le livre Ć la bibliothĆØque. I have to return the book at the library.
Iām carrying this book, and then leaving it at the library. - La nourriture Ć emporter ā take-out food
Il vend des pizzas Ć emporter. He sells take-out pizzas.
So, although English uses ātakeā here, you are actually bringing this pizza home with you. The pizza stays with you. - Ramener ā to take someone to their home/hotel, to give someone a ride home.
Tu veux que je te ramĆØne ? Would you like me to give you a ride home?
Itās a person, and you are leaving them at their place. - Porter ā to wear + clothing.
Je porte une jupe. I am wearing a skirt. - Tu tāamĆØnes ? ā slang ā Are you coming?
On se casse, tu tāamĆØnes ? Weāre leaving, are you coming with us? ā More French slang expressions.
5 ā The French Verb Prendre
The irregular French verb āprendreā is usually translated by āto takeā, as in to take a train, to take something in your handā¦
It can be a synonym of āapporterā or āemporterā.
Unfortunately, translating āprendreā is not always easy since French and English donāt always match and there are many expressions with that very common French verb.
- Je prends mon parapluie = jāemporte mon parapluie = Iām taking my umbrella
- Jāai pris sa main dans ma main = I took her hand in my hand
- Je prends une decision = Iām making a decision (! French and English donāt use the same verb hereā¦)
- Prendre son pied = idiom, a bit slang but very common. Literally āto take oneās footā. It means to have a blast.
6 ā Avoid An Embarrassing Mistake With Prendre
Watch out that in French āprendre quelquāunā has a sexual meaning, just like it can have in English.
Unfortunately, itās a mistake I hear too often. A student who wants to say āhe takes me homeā may say āil me prend chez moiā and this has a sexual meaning in French. You should say āil me ramĆØneā.
I hope I made things a bit clearer ā itās not an easy lesson. I suggest you remember the examples and learn them by heart since remembering the reasoning may be more tedious than just learning by heart in this case :-)
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