To Take: Prendre vs Amener
Confusing French Verbs
Lesson | Test
The English verb "to take" has several French equivalents, so take a few minutes to learn the difference.
| Prendre | ||
| Prendre is the general, all-purpose French equivalent of "to take." It is used to talk about taking something from a place or from someone, taking transportation, taking something to eat, taking a size, etc. | ||
| J'ai pris son livre sur la table. | I took his book from the table. | |
| Prends la main de David. | Take David's hand. | |
| Nous allons prendre le train. | We're going to take the train. | |
| Je prends un sandwich, s'il vous plaît. | I'll take a sandwich, please. | |
| Il prend une taille 14 en chemise. | He takes a size 14 shirt. | |
| Prenez votre temps. | Take your time | |
| Amener | ||
| Amener means to take someone or something with you.* | ||
| J'ai amené mon frère à la fête. | I took my brother to the party | |
| Amenons le chien à la plage. | Let's take the dog to the beach. | |
| Il n'a pas amené la voiture. | He didn't take the car. | |
| *Note: Amener is part of another set of confusing pairs: Amener, emmener, apporter, emporter. | ||
| Other equivalents of "to take" | ||
| Accepter | To take in the sense of to tolerate or to accept | |
| Il n'acceptera pas un refus. | He won't take no for an answer. | |
| Enlever | To take something off, out, away | |
| J'ai enlevé mon chapeau. | I took my hat off. | |
| Qui va enlever les chaises ? | Who will take the chairs away? | |
| Passer un examen | To take a test | |
| Il a passé trois examens hier. | He took three tests yesterday. | |
| Note that passer is a false cognate here. "To pass a test" = Réussir à un examen | ||
| Tirer (familiar) | To take in the sense of to steal | |
| Quelqu'un m'a tiré mon portefeuille ! | Someone took my wallet! | |
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Test on To Take Expressions with Prendre |
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