The verbs "to bring" and "to take" are often interchangeable in English, but their French equivalents are much more specific, and knowing when to use them can be a bit tricky. French actually has four different translations of these two simple verbs: amener, emmener, apporter, and emporter.

You can see that each of these verbs begins with a- or em- and ends with mener or porter. Keeping that in mind will help you determine when to use which verb. You can break it down like this:

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1. The verbs ending in mener are only used for things that can move (namely people, animals, or vehicles). The verbs ending in porter are only used for inanimate objects. Mener means "to lead" and porter means "to carry"—you’re more likely to "lead" people and animals and "carry" inanimate objects.

2. The verbs beginning with a- refer to bringing something or someone to another place or another person (emphasis on the arrival or destination; remember that à means "to" in French). The verbs beginning with em- refer to taking something or someone with you, away from the original location (emphasis on the departure or the journey).

The first rule is pretty straightforward, but context is key for the second one. Let’s explore them both by looking at these two examples: 

Ils avaient emmené avec eux quelques animaux d'élevage.

They had brought with them a few farm animals.

Caption 24, Il était une fois: Notre Terre - 9. Les écosystèmes

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Ils avaient emporté des tonnes de conserves?

Did they bring tons of canned food?

Caption 23, Il était une fois: Notre Terre - 9. Les écosystèmes

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Farm animals are living, breathing creatures, and canned food is just about as inanimate as you can get, so it makes sense that emmené was used in the first sentence and emporté was used in the second. But why the em-verbs instead of the a-verbs? The words avec eux help us to see where the emphasis lies—not on where they brought the animals and food, but on the fact that they brought things with them.

Now let’s take a look at amener and apporter:

Aujourd'hui notre rendez-vous nous amène dans l'est de Paris.

Today our rendezvous brings us to the east of Paris.

Caption 2, Voyage dans Paris - Belleville

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Vous voulez que je vous apporte une paire pour que vous puissiez comparer?

Do you want me to bring you a pair so that you can compare?

Caption 27, Margaux et Manon - Magasin de chaussures

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Our rendezvous with tour guide Daniel Benchimol is "bringing" us to the east of Paris, so amener is used here, since we’re all animate human beings. On the other hand, Manon brings Margaux a pair of inanimate shoes to try on, so she uses apporter. In both cases, the emphasis is on where we and the shoes are being brought—to the east of Paris and to Margaux.

As a final example, let's see how one situation can call for both types of verbs. We already saw that apporter was the right verb to use when Manon asked Margaux if she wanted her to bring her a pair of shoes to try on. But if the shoes don't fit, Margaux could say to Manon: 

Emportez-les, elles sont trop petites. 

Take them away, they're too small.  

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She wants Manon to bring the shoes back with her (not necessarily to any particular place), so emporter is the right fit here.  

This is a lot to take in, so you might need some time to chew it over. In fact, why not go to a restaurant and review it all over a nice meal? If you decide to amener un ami (bring a friend) you'll want to have it sur place (to stay); if you're alone you might want to take it à emporter (to go)!

In one of our latest videos, our friends Margaux and Manon revisit their childhood for a bit by playing shop. Margaux, the customer, sees a pair of shoes she likes, and Manon, the shopkeeper, asks her what size she is:

Vous faites du combien?

What shoe size are you?

Un bon trente-sept.

A solid thirty-seven [American size seven].

Captions 21-22, Margaux et Manon - Magasin de chaussures

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If it’s not quite obvious what Manon’s question has to do with shoe sizes, keep in mind that the phrase "faire du + [shoe size]" means "to wear a size x."

(And if Margaux’s size thirty-seven seems impossibly large, note that shoe-sizing scales vary from one region of the world to another. You can use this handy chart for all your future foreign shoe purchases.)  

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Another way of saying "to wear a size x" is "chausser du + [shoe size]":

Vous chaussez du combien?

What shoe size are you?

Je chausse du trente-sept.

I wear a size thirty-seven.

The French word for "shoe size" is la pointure (as opposed to the word for clothing size, la taille). So yet another way of rephrasing Manon’s question would be: 

Quelle est votre pointure?

What shoe size are you?

Chausser is a pretty important verb when it comes to shoes (les chaussures). Besides its meaning above, it can also refer to "putting on" shoes or anything that covers your feet... even rollerblades!

La chose qui me fait le plus plaisir, c'est de chausser, d'aller rouler.

The thing that gives me the most pleasure is to put on my blades, to go and roll.

Caption 6, Cap 24 - Démonstration de roller freestyle

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Manon takes the verb even further when describing how Margaux’s shoes might fit:

Je vais vous prendre un trente-sept et un trente-huit,

I'll get you a thirty-seven and a thirty-eight,

mais elles chaussent grand.

but they run big.

Caption 23, Margaux et Manon - Magasin de chaussures

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Luckily, Margaux’s shoes chaussent bien (fit well)!

If you’re talking about wearing shoes (or any other article of clothing), the verb to use is porter:

Margaux porte des escarpins noirs.

Margaux is wearing black pumps.

J'ai plus besoin de porter cette écharpe.

I don't need to wear this scarf anymore.

Caption 27, Flora - et le théâtre

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If black pumps aren't your thing, you can try some of these on for size:            

les sandales - sandals

les chaussons/les pantoufles - slippers

les chaussures de sport/de tennis - sneakers

les mocassins - loafers, flats              

les bottes - boots

les ballerines - ballet shoes

les chaussures à talons hauts - high heels

les tongs - flip-flops 

les chaussures de marche - hiking boots 

les sabots - clogs

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Now that you know all about buying shoes in France, why not try reenacting Margaux and Manon’s dialogue with a friend? You can go shopping after!