I know that "prendre" and "emporter"(for portable items) both mean "to take" but somehow I have the feeling that they are not synonymous.
Is it correct to say:
"je prends un livre de la table"(I take a book from the table)
but "j'emporte un livre à l'école"
(I take a book to school).
"Je prends un verre de l'eau"
(I take a glass of water)
but
"j'emporte un verre de l'eau à ma mére".
(I take a glass of water to my mother.)
Thank you!
Absolutely!
prendre = to take; to take on; to take up; catch ; get (obtain & bring); steal (a kiss); buy (a ticket); make (an appointment)
emprunter = to borrowq take (a road, a route); take on (false appearances)
You really catch the nuances! Chic alors!
Sra (aka Mme)
Merci Mme.
Yes, you are correct in thinking that "prendre" and "emporter" are not synonymous, even though they both can mean "to take" in English. In French, these two verbs have slightly different meanings and are used in different contexts.
The verb "prendre" is used when you take something from a place or someone. So, in your first example, "je prends un livre de la table" (I take a book from the table), you are indicating that you are taking the book from the table.
On the other hand, the verb "emporter" is used when you take something with you to another place. In your second example, "j'emporte un livre à l'école" (I take a book to school), you are indicating that you are taking the book with you to school.
The same distinction applies to your third and fourth examples. "Je prends un verre de l'eau" (I take a glass of water) means you are taking the water from a source, while "j'emporte un verre de l'eau à ma mère" (I take a glass of water to my mother) means you are taking the glass of water to your mother.
To summarize, "prendre" means taking something from a specific location or person, whereas "emporter" means taking something with you to another location.