“I’ll bring the drinks.” “I’ll bring my computer.” Simple phrases, right? We talk about things we’ll bring or take all the time. What about, “I’m going to take my mom to the doctor?” Another example of a simple phrase we use all the time. One thing’s for sure, if you get invited to a party, you’ll want to say “I’ll bring the…” Use this Beginner Japanese article to master another critical element of Japanese sentence construction. Learn to use mottekite (“to bring”) and motteiku (“to take”). In addition, discover a number of important vocabulary words and phrases. Don’t miss this Beginner Japanese article!

Vocabulary: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:

daidokoro – “kitchen”

otsumami – “snacks which go with alcohol”

motte kuru – “bring”

kaa-san – “mother”

tsurete kuru – “to bring someone along”

sagasu – “to search, to look for” (class 1 verb)

keisatsu – “police”

kyuukyuusha – “ambulance”

yobu – “to invite, to call, to call out” (class 1 verb)

gootoo – “robber”

Grammar: In this article, you’ll learn the following words and phrases:  

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

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keisatsu “police”

kyuukyuusha “ambulance”

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Vocabulary related to police:

keisatsu kan “police officer”

keisatsu sho “police station”

keisatsu ken “police dog”

kooban “police box”

Emergency numbers in Japan:

Police: (keisatsu) 110

Ambulance: (kyuukyuusha) 119

Fire truck: (shooboosha) 119

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yobu “to call out, to call, to invite”

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As you learned in Beginner Article 6, yobu is a class 1 verb that means “to invite.” However, it also means “to call” or “to call out.”

Example:

1. Keisatsu o yobimasu.
   “I’m going to call the police.”

2. Kyuukyuusha o yonde kusasai.
   “Please call an ambulance.”

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Today’s Target Phrase

Haizara o motte kite.

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In the previous article, you learned how to combine two or more consequence actions using the te-form. The focus of today’s article is [te-form of a verb] + [kuru] and [te-form of a verb] + [iku phrases].

Please review the following vocabulary and usage:

haizara – “ashtray”

o – “object marker”

motte – (te-form of the verb motsu) “to have, to hold”

kite (te-form of the verb kuru) “to come”

Motte kite literally means “hold something and come” and corresponds to the English “to bring.” We use tsurete kuru when discussing people or animals. It’s translated as “bring someone along.” Motte iku means “hold something and go.” It means “take” in English. Tsurete iku is “to take someone along.”

Example:

“to take” (motte iku) / (tsurete iku)

1. Kasa o motte iku.
   “I (will) take an umbrella.”

2. Kaisha ni konpyuutaa o motte iku.
   “I (will) take a computer to work.”

3. Kaisha ni inu o tsurete iku.
   “I (will) take my dog to work.”

“to bring” (motte kuru) / (tsurete kuru)

1. Haizara o motte kuru.
   “I (will) bring an ashtray.”

2. Uchi kara konpyuutaa o motte kuru.
   “I (will) bring a computer from home.”

3. Kaisha ni inu o tsurete kuru.
   “I (will) bring my dog to work.”

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More Example Sentences

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1. Ashita no paatii ni kanojo o tsurete kite mo iidesu ka.
   “Can I bring my girlfriend to the party tomorrow?”

   *[verb te form] + [mo ii] –>See Beginner Series Season 2 Article15 for more details.

2. Gakkou ni inu o tsurete kite wa ikemasen.
   *[verb te form] + [wa ikemasen] –>See Beginner Series Season 2 Article 15 for more details.

3. Kore o sensei ni motte itte kudasai.
   *[verb te form] + [kudasai] –>See Beginner Series Season 2 Article 9 for more details.

4. Daidokoro kara gurasu o motte kite kudasai.