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I have a question about the use of these verbs, “bring” and “take”, in two specific situations.

1_‘The postman took the letter to my house.’

(context: I was not at home when saying this, but I was when the postman took the letter to my house.)

Should I use "take" or "bring"?

2_‘The postman took the letter to the train station.’

(context: I am saying this at the train station, but I was at the airport when the postman took the letter there.)

Again, should I use "take" or "bring"?

Thanks for any help!

P.S.: “…took the letter there.”, is it grammatical?

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    Does this answer your question? I'll take you home / I'll bring you home. But you should also consider “Bring” vs. “take” in American English - we're not that much "separated by a common language"! Both verbs are fine for your two example contexts, regardless of whether the speaker / writer is British or American.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jan 12, 2021 at 16:21
  • (In BrE at least, it's usually bring to wherever the speaker is located, and take for anywhere else. But that doesn't mean the opposite is always "incorrect",)
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jan 12, 2021 at 16:26
  • I think I would use brought in both contexts. (1) Even when not at home, I would think of the postman bringing the letter to me. (2) Speaking at the station, I would say 'brought the letter here'... and, yes, 'took the letter there' is correct.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Jan 12, 2021 at 16:36
  • (As I put it in a comment in another post) Bring is the causative of come, and take is the causative of go. Thus, bring and take are subject to most of the same peculiarities as come and go, respectively. Read all about it in Fillmore's Coming and Going; if you find this heavy going, maybe it will come to you if you check out "May We Come In?" and the rest of the Deixis Lectures.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Jan 12, 2021 at 18:35

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There's an interesting twist in this question. Identifying the deictal centre is not easy in situation (1). Is it [out; time of speaking] or [in; time of delivery]? I believe it can be user-defined in this case.

Context will usually decree [place where speaking; time when speaking], so you are free to use 'brought' to indicate succinctly that you were in ('brought ... to my house') when the letter arrived.

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In (2), I'd say 'took' doesn't work at all. A 'though I wasn't here; I was at the airport at the time' caveat would be necessary to point out you were elsewhere when the letter arrived at the station.

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'There' can be used as a directional, just like prepositional phrases, after say V + NP (threw the ball / sent the parcel ...):

(took the parcel to the hospital / into the shop / across the Channel / home / there ...).

It can sometimes sound a little weak (I sent my clothes, my books, my furniture, and even my unrivalled collection of foreign coins there).

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