Bring, take, lead

Question

I am trying to determine when to use 'emmener' and when to use 'amener' and to some extent 'apporter'.  All of the examples seem to imply that the first two refer to people, whereas 'apporter' refers to things.  Is that right?  Is there any guidance regarding the usage of 'emmener' vice 'amener' ?  Both translate to take or bring and in some contexts the meaning is lead.  Thanks.

Accepted Answer

Hi Frank, 
You might find my answer to a similar question posed by Valerie useful -
https://french.kwiziq.com/questions/view/emporter-v-apporter
Hope it helps!

Answer

Frank, have a look at this external link for further discussion that may be helpful. You are absolutely right about the ...mener verbs applying to people/animals, ...porter verbs to things, and therein lies an easy way to remember the difference. However, it is not religiously observed even by native French speakers in everyday speech, as is covered in the article also.

https://www.frenchtoday.com/blog/french-verb-conjugation/amener-emmener-apporter-emporter-remporter-bring-take-french/

Answer

The link which Maarten shared in his post explains the issue quite clearly. Just to sum up and to have it all in plain view:

-porter verbs are for inanimate objects being transported.
-mener verbs are for people and animals.

the a- prefix means that you take someone/something to a location and leave it there. Often this will be translated as "to take" in English.
the em- prefix means that you stay with the person/object (frequently translated as "to bring").

J'amène ma fille à la gare. -- I'm taking my daughter to the train station. (In the sense that she's taking the train and I will be returning home.)

J'emmène ma fille à la gare. -- I'm bringing my daughter to the train station. (Here, I'm not going to leave her there. Maybe I'm going to pick up a friend and taking my daughter along.)

Answer

Thanks so much to Maarten and Chris for putting me straight on the usage of these two families of verbs.  Both explanations were incredibly helpful.  Understanding the basic concepts will allow me to make the right choice.  Bravo!