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The difference between French verbs “amener,” “emmener,” “apporter,” and “emporter”

by | Jan 29, 2025 | Blog, French Grammar

Hello everyone!
Today, I am offering a lesson to clarify a question that many learners ask: What is the difference between “amener,” “emmener,” “apporter,” and “emporter”?
Don’t worry, even though this may seem complicated at first, these nuances are quite easy to understand with a few explanations.

Amener and Emmener: For people or animals
These two verbs are used when transporting people or animals.

  • Emmener involves accompanying someone or an animal from a starting point (A) to a destination (B), staying with them throughout the journey and once you arrive.
    Example: J’emmène mon frère chez le dentiste (I stay with my brother at the dentist’s office).
  • Amener, on the other hand, means dropping someone off at a place without staying there.
    Example: J’amène mon ami à la gare (I drop my friend off at the station and leave).

A good way to remember this is from the famous song by Charles Aznavour: Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre. This verb evokes the idea of staying with the person during the journey.

Apporter and Emporter: For objects
These verbs are used for transporting things or objects, with a similar distinction to that between “amener” and “emmener.”

  • Emporter means taking an object with you to bring it somewhere else, keeping it with you throughout the journey.
    Example: J’emporte toujours mon ordinateur portable en voyage (I always take my laptop with me when I travel).
  • Apporter means taking an object to deliver it to a specific place, where it will remain.
    Example: J’apporte des fleurs à ma grand-mère (I bring flowers to my grandmother’s house).

Practical summary

 

Verb

Use

Example

Emmener

People/animals (I stay with them)

J’emmène mon chien chez le vétérinaire

Amener

People/animals (I drop them off)

J’amène mon fils à l’école

Emporter

Objects (I keep with me)

J’emporte mon parapluie au travail

Apporter

Objects (I leave somewhere)

J’apporte un gâteau à une fête d’anniversaire

Quick conjugation of the four verbs
Here’s the conjugation in the present tense to help you use them correctly:

  • Emmener: j’emmène, tu emmènes, il/elle/on emmène, nous emmenons, vous emmenez, ils/elles emmènent.
  • Amener: j’amène, tu amènes, il/elle/on amène, nous amenons, vous amenez, ils/elles amènent.
  • Emporter: j’emporte, tu emportes, il/elle/on emporte, nous emportons, vous emportez, ils/elles emportent.
  • Apporter: j’apporte, tu apportes, il/elle/on apporte, nous apportons, vous apportez, ils/elles apportent.

I hope these explanations have helped! See you soon for a new lesson.

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