Amener, Emmener, Apporter, Emporter: French “Bring” and “Take”
English covers “bring” and “take” with two words no matter what you’re carrying. French splits the job into four verbs, and the split isn’t about direction alone — it’s about whether you’re moving a person or a thing. Get the grid straight once and it stops being confusing.
The short version
- Amener / Emmener — for PEOPLE and animals.
- Apporter / Emporter — for THINGS.
- The a- prefix (amener, apporter) means bringing TOWARD here.
- The em- prefix (emmener, emporter) means taking AWAY from here.
Two questions decide the verb: is it a person or a thing, and is it coming here or going away? Answer both and you land on the right word.
Amener and emmener — people
- Amener, bringing a person here: Tu peux amener ta sœur à la fête? (Can you bring your sister to the party?)
- Amener, general: J’ai amené mon collègue à la réunion. (I brought my colleague to the meeting.)
- Emmener, taking a person away: Je vais emmener les enfants au parc. (I’m going to take the kids to the park.)
- Emmener, general: Il m’a emmené voir un film. (He took me to see a movie.)
- Emmener, giving a lift: Je peux t’emmener à la gare. (I can take/drive you to the station.)
Apporter and emporter — things
- Apporter, bringing a thing here: Apporte-moi le livre, s’il te plaît. (Bring me the book, please.)
- Apporter, general: J’ai apporté du vin pour le dîner. (I brought wine for dinner.)
- Emporter, taking a thing away: N’oublie pas d’emporter ton parapluie. (Don’t forget to take your umbrella.)
- Emporter, restaurant context: C’est pour emporter ou sur place? (Is that to go or for here?)
- Emporter, figuratively: Il s’est laissé emporter par la colère. (He let himself get carried away by anger.)
Quick chart
| Toward here | Away from here | |
|---|---|---|
| People/animals | amener | emmener |
| Things | apporter | emporter |
Where the line blurs: pets, and the à emporter phrase
The person/thing split mostly runs cleanly, but animals sit in a genuinely gray zone. Officially, animals get treated like people grammatically — you’d normally say amener le chien (bring the dog) rather than treat the dog as a thing. In casual speech, though, many French speakers use apporter with pets, especially small ones, almost as if the pet were an object being carried rather than a companion being escorted — apporte le chat is heard often enough that it’s not flagged as wrong in casual conversation, even though the “correct” textbook form is amener. If you’re unsure with an animal, amener is the safer, more formally correct choice. Separately, emporter has drifted into an extremely common fixed phrase outside its literal grammar: à emporter means “to go” or “takeaway” on any restaurant menu, functioning almost like a standalone adjective now rather than a verb form you’re actively conjugating. Learn à emporter as a chunk — it’s one of the most useful two words you’ll need in any French-speaking café. Emporter also shows up in the figurative expression se laisser emporter, meaning to get carried away emotionally, a nice reminder that these “carrying” verbs extend beyond literal physical movement.
Mistakes learners make
- Using apporter for a person: j’ai apporté mon ami sounds like you carried your friend as an object — it should be j’ai amené mon ami.
- Using amener for a thing: amène le livre is understood but not correct — things take apporter, so it should be apporte le livre.
- Mixing up the a-/em- direction prefix and saying emmener when you mean bringing someone here, or amener when you mean taking someone away.
- Forgetting that à emporter is a fixed phrase and trying to conjugate emporter unnecessarily in that context.
- Overthinking the pet exception and second-guessing amener with animals when it’s actually the safer, more correct default.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between amener and apporter?
Amener is used for bringing a person (or animal) somewhere. Apporter is used for bringing a thing. The person/thing distinction is the core rule for all four verbs in this set.
What’s the difference between emmener and emporter?
Emmener means taking a person away from here. Emporter means taking a thing away from here. Both use the em- prefix for “away,” but split on person versus thing.
Do you use amener or emmener for bringing someone to a party?
Amener, since you’re bringing them toward the location of the party (here). Emmener would apply if you were the one taking them away from where you currently are.
What does à emporter mean on a French menu?
“To go” or “takeaway.” It’s a fixed phrase built from emporter, distinct from sur place, which means “to eat here.”
Do you use amener or apporter for a pet?
Formally, amener, since animals are grammatically treated like people in this system. In casual speech, apporter is sometimes heard with small pets, but amener is the textbook-correct choice.
How do you remember the difference between all four verbs?
Split by two questions: is it a person/animal or a thing (amener/emmener vs. apporter/emporter), and is it coming here or going away (the a- prefix vs. the em- prefix).
Is emporter used outside of restaurants?
Yes. Beyond à emporter on a menu, emporter appears in everyday sentences about taking things away, like n’oublie pas d’emporter ton parapluie (don’t forget to take your umbrella).
What’s the imperative form of amener?
Amène (informal) or amenez (formal/plural): Amène ta sœur! (Bring your sister!). The imperative drops the subject pronoun the way all French command forms do.
This four-way split is one of the clearest markers of a fluent French speaker versus a direct English translator. corrector.co’s free French checker flags person/thing mismatches like apporter used with a person.
