One moves something toward you, the other moves it away from you.
Verb. To move something or someone toward the speaker or toward the destination of the speaker.
Please bring me a glass of water.
Por favor tráeme un vaso de agua.
Can you bring your notes to class tomorrow?
¿Puedes traer tus apuntes a clase mañana?
He brought flowers to the party.
Él trajo flores a la fiesta.
Verb. To move something or someone away from the speaker or away from the current location.
Don't forget to take your umbrella.
No olvides llevarte tu paraguas.
She took the kids to school this morning.
Ella llevó a los niños a la escuela esta mañana.
Take this form to the front desk.
Lleva este formulario al escritorio de recepción.
Common mistake
Confusing the direction of movement. Wrong: "Please bring this to the post office" (if you are not at the post office). Correct: "Please take this to the post office".
Trick to remember it
'Bring' = come WITH something (movement toward). 'Take' = go WITH something (movement away). If the destination is where you ARE, use 'bring'. If it is somewhere else, use 'take'.
Quick rule
Does the object move toward you or to where you are going? Use 'bring'. Does it move away from you? Use 'take'.
Did you know?
The 'bring/take' distinction mirrors the Spanish 'traer/llevar' distinction exactly. Spanish speakers already understand the directionality in their own language — they just need to transfer that same logic to English.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
I'm at the office. Can you ____ me a sandwich?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Don't forget to ____ your passport to the airport.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Does the object move toward you or to where you are going? Use 'bring'. Does it move away from you? Use 'take'.
Confusing the direction of movement. Wrong: "Please bring this to the post office" (if you are not at the post office). Correct: "Please take this to the post office".
'Bring' = come WITH something (movement toward). 'Take' = go WITH something (movement away). If the destination is where you ARE, use 'bring'. If it is somewhere else, use 'take'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy