meebrengen

Meebrengen is a Dutch verb meaning to bring along something to a location or to carry something with you to a destination. It is used when the speaker intends to have or share the item at the place they are going to, such as a party, meeting, or gathering. The verb implies transporting an object from one place to another and is commonly used to indicate what a person brings to an event or to someone at the destination.

Meebrengen is a separable verb. In the present and past tenses, the prefix mee is separated from the stem brengen: ik breng mee; jij brengt mee; hij brengt mee. In the past tense, forms include ik bracht mee, jij bracht mee, wij brachten mee. The perfect tense uses hebben with the past participle meegebracht: ik heb meegebracht; hij heeft meegebracht. The imperative is Breng mee! or Breng het mee.

Usage notes: It is common to specify the object: “Ik breng een cake mee naar het feest” or “We brengen wijn mee.” The phrase can be combined with pronouns: “Breng het mee” or “Neem het mee” (the latter uses the related verb meenemen). Nuances: meebrengen emphasizes bringing something to the destination; meenemen emphasizes taking something with you on the way or during travel.

Examples:

- Ik breng morgen mijn laptop mee naar de vergadering.

- Ze bracht een fles wijn mee naar het diner.

- Hij heeft de documenten meegebracht.

Etymology: Mee- is a Dutch prefix meaning with or along; brengen means to bring. The construction has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as German mitbringen.