Come Go Bring Take Fetch Get – learn how to use these common English verbs. We’ll show you their meanings and lots of examples in the video.

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Come Go Bring Take Get Fetch Video Script

Carter, bring me the newspaper. Carter, get the newspaper.
Why don’t you go and fetch it yourself?
No, he has to learn. Carter, bring me the newspaper.
I don’t think it’s working.

This lesson’s about some very common verbs that can be confusing. These four verbs are all irregular. Can you remember them?

Come, came, come. Go, went, gone. Bring, brought, brought. Take, took, taken.

Great! Now the tricky thing is the meanings. Let’s start with ‘come’ and ‘go’.

I’m getting hungry.
Well, we’re having dinner with Graham and Carole tonight.
Now are they coming here or are we going there?
We’re going there.
Oh good.
You don’t like my cooking.
I love your cooking.

We use ‘come’ for movements towards us. We use ‘go’ for movements away.

Come. Good boy. Good boy. Go to your crate. Good boy.

Bring’ and ‘take’ are similar. The direction is important.

The mailman’s brought the mail. I’ll take it to Vicki.

So we use ‘bring’ for movements towards us. We use ‘take’ for movements away.

There’s a good boy. Jay, erm, if you bring me his leash I’ll take him out.
OK.
Thank you. There’s a good boy.

So it’s easy, huh? Come here. Go away. Bring it here. Take it away. Well not quite. ‘Go’ and ‘take’ are straightforward. We use them to talk about movement to another place. But ‘come’ and ‘bring’ are a little tricky because sometimes we imagine ourselves in the position of the person we’re talking to. We choose the verb that matches their point of view, not ours.

A dinner party? Oooo, we’d love to come. What can we bring?

So I’m speaking about the position of the person I’m talking to here.

A dinner party? Oooo, we’d love to come. What can we bring?

So here’s a way to think about it. Coming and bringing – movement towards you or the person you’re talking to.

OK. Dinner’s ready. I’m coming. OK. Dinner’s ready. I’m coming.

Is Juan here yet? No. Erm.. Where are you holding the meeting? Room 306. I’ll bring him up when he arrives. Thanks. Is Juan here yet? No. Erm.. Where are you holding the meeting? Room 306. I’ll bring him up when he arrives. Thanks.

Now there are two more verbs to look at before we stop. ‘Fetch’ is a regular verb and ‘get’ is irregular.
Get, got, gotten. Get, got, got.
No it’s get, got, gotten.

British and American English are a little different.

OK, I’ll be back in half an hour.
Oh, are you going to the cafeteria?
Yes. Could you get me a doughnut?
Yes.

So ‘get’ means go to a place and bring something back. In British English we can say ‘fetch’ here too. It means the same as ‘get’.

OK, I’ll fetch you a doughnut.
You mean you’ll get one for me.
Yes. Great!

Fetch’ sounds very old fashioned in American English.

Oh, did you get me a doughnut.
No, sorry. They’d sold out. I got a cheese sandwich instead.
But I don’t like cheese.
Well, not to worry. I do.

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