Bring and take both describe carrying something, and the difference is direction. Bring means the thing moves towards the speaker or towards the place both people are going to. Take means it moves away from the speaker.
The direction depends on where you are when you speak. If you are at home and you leave for the station, you take your bag. If you are at the station and your friend is arriving, you say "bring your bag inside".
This page teaches the direction test with eight examples, then asks 15 questions. Every answer explains where the speaker stands and which way the thing moves.
What each word means
bring
bring (verb): to carry or move something towards the speaker, or to the place where the speaker will be.
take
take (verb): to carry or move something away from the speaker, or to accompany someone to a place.
The rule
Bring means movement here
- Bring + thing + to + place: "Bring your notes to class." The speaker expects the notes to arrive.
- Bring + person + thing: "Can you bring me the menu?" The thing comes to the speaker.
- If you are going to the event too, bring is natural for the thing you carry there: "I will bring a cake to the party."
- The forms are bring, brought, brought. The past form rhymes with thought.
Take means movement away
- Take + thing + with you: "Take an umbrella with you." The umbrella leaves the house.
- Take + thing + to + place: "Take this letter to the post office." The letter goes away from here.
- Take also means to accompany someone: "He took his sister to the doctor."
- The forms are take, took, taken, and the verb covers transport too: take a bus, take a taxi.
The direction test
- Ask where the speaker is standing. If the thing moves towards the speaker, use bring.
- If the thing moves away from the speaker, use take.
- If the speaker will also be at the destination, bring often sounds friendly and natural.
- With the word here, use bring. With there or away, use take.
Fixed phrases
- Bring up has two meanings: to mention a topic, or to raise a child.
- Bring about means to cause something: "The law brought about big changes."
- Take off means to remove clothes or for a plane to leave the ground. Take part in means to join an activity.
- Bring your own bottle (BYOB) is a common sign. Take place means to happen.
How to remember
The trick: Bring it here; take it there. B goes with being with us, and T goes with travel away.
Examples
- Can you bring me the menu, please?The menu comes to the speaker, so bring is correct.
- Remember to take your passport with you.The passport leaves the speaker's home, so take is correct.
- Take an umbrella with you.The umbrella goes away from here.
- Take this letter to the post office.The letter moves away from the speaker to another place.
- She brought her brother to the party.The brother arrived at the shared place, so brought fits.
- He took his sister to the doctor.They moved away from home to the doctor.
- Can I bring a friend to dinner?The friend comes with the speaker toward the shared meal.
- I took my camera on holiday.The camera travelled away with the speaker.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Can you take me the salt? Right: Can you bring me the salt?
- The salt moves towards the speaker, so bring is the right direction.
- Wrong: Please bring this letter to the post office. Right: Please take this letter to the post office.
- The letter leaves the speaker and goes to another place, so take is correct.
- Wrong: He brought his girlfriend to the station and left. Right: He took his girlfriend to the station and left.
- They moved away from home; nobody at the station is the speaker, so take fits.
- Wrong: Bring your sister to the doctor with you. Right: Take your sister to the doctor with you.
- The sister leaves the house with you, so take describes the movement away.
- Wrong: I will take the cake to the party if you like. Right: I will bring the cake to the party if you like.
- The speaker will be at the party too, so bring is the natural word for carrying the cake there.
Practice drill
Answer all 15 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
Can you ___ me a glass of water?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. bring The water comes towards the speaker, so bring is the right direction.
Do not forget to ___ your passport with you.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. take The passport leaves the house with the listener, so take is correct.
Please ___ this parcel to the post office for me.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. take The parcel moves away from the speaker to another place, so take fits.
He ___ his brother to the party last night.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. took They went away from home to the party, and the past form of take is took.
I will ___ a cake to the party.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. bring The speaker will be at the party too, so bring for the shared place is natural.
___ your raincoat when you go out.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Take The raincoat goes away from the speaker with the listener, so take is correct.
Can I ___ a friend to your party?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. bring The friend comes with the speaker to the listener's party, so bring is correct.
She ___ me flowers when she visited.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. brought The flowers arrived towards the speaker, so the past form brought is correct.
We ___ the children to the park yesterday.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. took The children went away from home to the park, and the past form of take is took.
Remember to ___ your ID to the exam.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. take The ID moves from home to the exam, away from the speaker, so take is correct.
Could you ___ the bill, please?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. bring The bill comes to the speaker's table, so bring is the right direction.
He ___ a lot of souvenirs home from Japan.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. brought Home is here, towards the speaker, so the past form brought is correct.
Please ___ this note to the teacher.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. take The note leaves the speaker and goes to the teacher, so take fits.
I will ___ my laptop with me to the meeting.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. take The laptop leaves the current place and goes away, so take is correct.
The waiter ___ us some bread.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. brought The bread came towards the speaker at the table, so brought fits.
Questions learners ask
Does the answer change if I am on the phone?
Yes, the speaker's position still decides. If you are at home and call a friend who is at the station, you say "bring the tickets when you come" because the tickets move towards you. Your friend at the station says "I will bring them" because they move towards the meeting point, which is you.
Can I use both words with the word home?
Yes, the direction changes the choice. "Take this book home" means it leaves the current place with you. "Bring this book home" means you carry it towards the home you share with the speaker. Both are correct in the right situation.
What does take place mean?
Take place is a fixed phrase meaning to happen: "The meeting takes place on Monday." There is no physical movement, so the direction test does not apply. Learn it as a single block with happen.
More confusing words
Hear vs listen
Hear is what reaches your ears without trying. Listen means you pay attention to the sound on purpose.
There, their or they're
There names a place or introduces a thing. Their belongs to them. They're is the short form of they are.
Your vs you're
Your means belonging to you. You're is the short form of you are.
Browse all the confusing word pairs or take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.