Emmener vs Apporter : no more mistakes !

We’ve seen with ‘retourner’ and ‘rentrer’ that French verbs can sometimes be a bit confusing. Another pair of verbs which is tricky is ’emmener’ vs ‘apporter’. We’ll show you how to make fewer mistakes with these and sound like a native French speaker.

Summary :

1. Apporter or emporter : which ones to choose ?
2. Amener vs emmener : when to use them ?

Firstly, ‘apporter’ and ’emporter’ both finish with -porter. The verb ‘porter’ in French means to carry, to bring. As a result, these first two verbs are used when you have something in your hands or in your arms. Note that it can also be used for clothes but here, it’s not relevant.

Remember : ‘Apporter’ and ’emporter’  are used with objects.

Now, the verb starts with an -a. So it means that a person carries an object from one place to another with him/her. Let’s see a few examples :

• N’oubliez pas d’apporter votre pièce d’identité = Dont’ forget to bring your ID
• Le serveur nous apporte deux cafés = The waiter bring us two coffees
• J’ai apporté des fleurs à ma mère = I brought flowers to my mum

Then, let’s conjugate the verb ‘apporter’ at some of the main tenses in French.

If you been to a francophone country, you’ve probably seen a lot of ‘à emporter’ in restaurants. Here, it means to take away. Generally, the prefix ‘-em’ indicates that a person walks away from a place with an object. And he/she keeps with him/her. Let’s check a few examples you can find in real life situations :

• Il est sorti sans emporter son manteau = He left without taking his coat
• Les cambrioleurs ont emporté tout l’argent = The burglars took all the money

Now that you understand when to use ’emporter‘, let’s check the conjugation of 5 main tenses in French :

Note: when you want to practice your conjugation, do not hesitate to check le Bescherelle.

Equally important is the pair ‘amener’ vs ’emmener’. True, locals will probably understand you if you mix these two verbs. Indeed, both verbs ends with ‘mener’, which means to lead, to conduct. However, you may want to grasp the differences between these verbs !

To start with, ‘amener’ means to lead a person or an animal to a place or to someone. As seen previously with ‘apporter’, this verb is made up of the prefix a-, which focus on point of arrival. It assumes that the person being moved is dropped off. How does it work in everyday situations ?

• Mon mari m’amène au travail = My husband takes me to work (and he leaves after)
• J’amène mon fils à la piscine = I take my son to the pool (and I doesn’t stay)

The conjugation of ‘amener‘ is quite close to the previous verbs, as follows :

On the contrary, ’emmener’ implies that you go with someone from one place to another. Because of the prefix em-, the emphasise is on the place of departure. In other words, we move away from this place accompanied by the person, to stay with them. You will understand easily with these examples :

• J’emmène ma fille à Disneyland = I take my daughter to Disneyland (and I spend the day with her)
• Un voisin m’a emmené au restaurant = A neighbour took me to the restaurant (and we had dinner together)

Finally, we’ll help you conjugating ’emmener’ with some essential tenses in French.

Note : Exactly like ‘amener’, there is no accent for ’emmener’ at the imparfait.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this article ! To get more tailored French classes, feel free to contact me today. I’d love to help you improve your French.