Amener Conjugation: All Tenses of the French Verb “amener”
Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed August 2026
Amener means “to bring” or “to take someone somewhere.” It uses the endings of an ordinary -er verb but changes its stem vowel, and that accent is where the spelling usually goes wrong.
Amener is about moving a person or an animal to the place you are heading for: j'amène les enfants à l'école, amène ton frère si tu veux. French keeps a four-way distinction English does not: amener and emmener are for people, apporter and emporter for things, and the a- / em- pair says whether you drop someone off or keep them with you. Everyday speech does stretch amener to objects, but the four-way split is what you will be taught and what you will read.
Amener takes the standard first-group endings, so the only thing to track is the stem vowel. The e of amen- becomes è whenever the ending after it is silent: j'amène, tu amènes, il amène, ils amènent. Nous amenons and vous amenez keep the plain e, because there the ending is pronounced. The imparfait keeps e in every person (j'amenais, nous amenions), while the future and conditional carry the è all the way through (j'amènerai, nous amènerions), since the e of the -er- ending is silent. The subjunctive follows the present: que j'amène but que nous amenions. The past participle, amené, is regular.
Amener takes avoir: j'ai amené. The participle agrees with a direct object placed before the verb, which happens constantly with people: je l'ai amenée à la gare.
Amener in context
Présent
J'amène les enfants à l'école tous les matins. I take the children to school every morning.
Imparfait
Mon père nous amenait au marché le samedi. My father used to take us to the market on Saturdays.
Passé composé
Elle a amené une amie à la fête. She brought a friend to the party.
Futur simple
Nous amènerons le chien chez le vétérinaire demain. We'll take the dog to the vet tomorrow.
Subjonctif présent
Il faut que tu amènes ton frère avec toi. You need to bring your brother with you.
Common mistakes with amener
Putting the accent on nous and vous
✗ Nous amènons les enfants au parc.
✓ Nous amenons les enfants au parc. — We're taking the children to the park.
The è only appears when the ending after the stem is silent, which is true of -e, -es and -ent but not of -ons and -ez. Since you can hear the ending in nous amenons and vous amenez, the stem keeps its plain e.
Using amener for objects
✗ J'amène une bouteille de vin ce soir.
✓ J'apporte une bouteille de vin ce soir. — I'm bringing a bottle of wine tonight.
Amener contains mener, to lead, so it wants something that can walk: a person, a child, a dog. Things you carry take apporter. Spoken French does blur this, but in writing and in exams the distinction is expected.
Confusing amener and emmener
✗ Je t'amène au cinéma et on rentre ensemble.
✓ Je t'emmène au cinéma et on rentre ensemble. — I'll take you to the cinema and we'll come home together.
Amener takes someone to a destination and typically leaves them there: je t'amène à la gare. Emmener means taking someone along with you and keeping them with you. The prefixes carry the difference: a- points at the arrival, em- at the company.
Expressions with amener
qu'est-ce qui t'amène ?
what brings you here?
être amené à faire quelque chose
to end up having to do something
amener quelqu'un à changer d'avis
to bring someone round to a different view
Frequently asked questions
Is amener a regular verb?
Its endings are the regular first-group ones, so it is not irregular in the way prendre or venir are. What it has is a predictable stem change, e to è, in the forms where the ending is silent. Some tables therefore file it with the third group, but if you know the accent rule you can derive every form.
Why is it j'amène but nous amenons?
French avoids an unstressed e in a syllable that ends up carrying the stress. In j'amène the ending is silent, so the stem vowel is stressed and is written è. In nous amenons the ending -ons is pronounced and takes the stress, so the stem vowel stays a plain e. Acheter, lever and peser follow the same rule.
What is the difference between amener and emmener?
Both move a person, but the perspective differs. Amener focuses on arrival at the destination, often with the idea of leaving them there: j'amène ma fille à l'école. Emmener focuses on taking someone away with you and keeping them with you: je l'emmène au restaurant. When in doubt, ask whether you stay together afterwards.
When do you use amener and when apporter?
Amener for people and animals, apporter for things: j'amène mon fils, j'apporte le dessert. The same split holds for the em- pair, emmener for people and emporter for things, as in un plat à emporter, a takeaway dish. Spoken French often uses amener for objects, but the careful version keeps them apart.
What is the past participle of amener?
It is amené, formed regularly with no accent change in the stem. Because the object is usually a person, the agreement rule comes up often: je l'ai amené for a man, je l'ai amenée for a woman, je les ai amenés for a group. Those endings are silent in speech.