Think about the place the speaker or listener treats as the reference point.

The idea

Use bring for movement toward that point and take for movement away from it. The reference point can be the listener’s location or an agreed destination.

Patterns to compare
VerbDirection relative to the reference point
bringtoward the speaker, listener, or chosen place
takeaway from the speaker or chosen place

Examples

  • Please bring your guitar to my house tonight.
  • I will bring some bread when I come to your apartment.
  • The waiter brought water to our table.
  • Please take this letter from my desk to the post office.
  • Mina took her umbrella from home to the office.
  • We took the empty bottles from the kitchen to the recycling bin.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic English voice on your device. Quality and availability vary; it does not assess pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not choose bring just because someone carries an object; consider the direction and viewpoint.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct word. I am at the picnic. Please ___ the cups here. (bring / take)

    Show answer or example answer

    bring

    bring: The cups move toward the speaker at the picnic.

  2. Choose the correct word. I am at home. Please ___ this parcel from here to the post office. (bring / take)

    Show answer or example answer

    take

    take: The parcel moves away from the speaker’s home.

  3. Choose the correct word. You are at the station. I will ___ your coat to you there. (bring / take)

    Show answer or example answer

    bring

    bring: The coat moves toward the listener at the station.

Use it today

Imagine a visit: describe what you carry to the host and what you carry away from home.