bring to
Restore to consciousness
Littéralement: To move something or someone toward a specific state or person.
En 15 secondes
- Used to wake someone up or highlight a specific fact.
- Often used as 'bring to someone's attention' in offices.
- Helps transition someone from confusion to clarity.
Signification
This phrase describes the act of helping someone regain consciousness or making them realize something important they hadn't noticed before.
Exemples clés
3 sur 6In a business meeting
I'd like to bring this budget error to your attention.
I want to make you aware of this budget error.
Helping someone who fainted
We used some cold water to bring him to.
We used cold water to wake him up.
Texting a forgetful friend
Just wanted to bring the party time to your attention again!
Just reminding you about the party time!
Contexte culturel
In American business culture, 'bringing someone to the realization' is often part of a 'performance review' or 'intervention.' It reflects a culture that values directness and 'facing the facts.' The phrase 'bring round' is often preferred over 'bring to' in casual British English, though 'bring to' remains common in medical or formal contexts. While the English phrase is direct, the Japanese equivalent of 'bringing someone to their senses' is often handled with extreme delicacy to avoid causing the person to 'lose face.' Australians might use the phrase 'bring to' in a very casual, almost blunt way, often followed by a 'reality check' comment.
The 'Him/Her' Sandwich
Always remember to put the person in the middle: Bring + [Person] + To.
Not for Sleep
Don't use this for waking up from a normal night's sleep. It sounds like you had a medical emergency!
En 15 secondes
- Used to wake someone up or highlight a specific fact.
- Often used as 'bring to someone's attention' in offices.
- Helps transition someone from confusion to clarity.
What It Means
Bring to is a versatile phrase about awareness. In a physical sense, it means waking someone up after they have fainted. In a mental sense, it means making someone notice a specific fact. It is like turning a light on in a dark room. You are moving someone from a state of 'not knowing' to 'knowing.'
How To Use It
Usually, you place the person between the two words. You would say, 'I need to bring him to.' If you are talking about an idea, you bring it to someone's attention. It acts like a bridge between a person and a piece of information. Don't forget to use a pronoun like him, her, or it in the middle for physical contexts. For information, use the full phrase bring to someone's attention.
When To Use It
Use it when a friend is daydreaming and misses a deadline. Use it in a meeting when you find a mistake in a report. It is perfect for medical emergencies where someone has passed out. It also works when you want to be polite about pointing out a flaw. It feels more helpful than just saying 'look at this.'
When NOT To Use It
Do not use it for simple introductions. You don't bring a friend to a party in this specific sense of 'awareness.' Avoid using it if the person is already fully aware of the situation. It can sound repetitive if you use it for every small detail. Don't use it if you are just 'bringing' a physical object like a pizza.
Cultural Background
In English-speaking cultures, being 'aware' is highly valued in professional settings. We use this phrase to avoid sounding like we are accusing someone. Instead of saying 'You missed this,' we say 'I wanted to bring this to your attention.' It softens the blow of a correction. It shows you are being a team player. It’s the 'polite' way to say 'Hey, wake up!'
Common Variations
Bring someone around: This is the more common way to say someone woke up from fainting.Bring to light: This means making a secret known to everyone.Bring to mind: This means making someone remember something.
Notes d'usage
In professional writing, 'bring to your attention' is a key phrase for soft-skills communication. In spoken English, 'bring him/her to' is mostly reserved for medical or dramatic contexts.
The 'Him/Her' Sandwich
Always remember to put the person in the middle: Bring + [Person] + To.
Not for Sleep
Don't use this for waking up from a normal night's sleep. It sounds like you had a medical emergency!
Tough Love
Using 'bring to your senses' is a strong statement. Only use it with people you know well.
Passive Voice
In news reports, you'll often see 'He was brought to...' This is a very natural way to use the phrase.
Exemples
6I'd like to bring this budget error to your attention.
I want to make you aware of this budget error.
A professional way to point out a mistake.
We used some cold water to bring him to.
We used cold water to wake him up.
Refers to regaining physical consciousness.
Just wanted to bring the party time to your attention again!
Just reminding you about the party time!
A gentle nudge or reminder.
It took a giant billboard to bring the obvious truth to him.
It took a huge sign for him to finally realize it.
Implies the person was being very dense.
Could you bring the manager to our table?
Could you ask the manager to come here?
This is the literal use of moving a person.
She brought the spelling mistake to my notice.
She made me notice the spelling mistake.
Similar to 'attention' but slightly more casual.
Teste-toi
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of 'bring to.'
The paramedics managed to _______ the fainted runner _______ after a few minutes.
In this context, we are reviving someone who fainted, so we use 'bring [object] to.'
Choose the most natural sentence.
Which sentence correctly uses 'bring to' in a figurative sense?
This correctly uses the figurative meaning of making someone realize a truth.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'He's been spending all his money on lottery tickets.' B: 'We really need to _______.'
'Bring him to his senses' is the idiomatic way to say we need to make him realize his mistake.
Match the sentence to the situation.
Sentence: 'The cool breeze finally brought her to.'
'Bring to' with a physical cause (cool breeze) usually refers to consciousness.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesThe paramedics managed to _______ the fainted runner _______ after a few minutes.
In this context, we are reviving someone who fainted, so we use 'bring [object] to.'
Which sentence correctly uses 'bring to' in a figurative sense?
This correctly uses the figurative meaning of making someone realize a truth.
A: 'He's been spending all his money on lottery tickets.' B: 'We really need to _______.'
'Bring him to his senses' is the idiomatic way to say we need to make him realize his mistake.
Sentence: 'The cool breeze finally brought her to.'
'Bring to' with a physical cause (cool breeze) usually refers to consciousness.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsNo. 'Wake up' is for normal sleep. 'Bring to' is for reviving someone from a faint, shock, or anesthesia.
No, if you mean reviving him. It must be 'bring him to.' 'Bring to him' means carrying an object to his location.
It is always 'bring to.' 'Too' means 'also' or 'excessively' and is incorrect here.
It means making someone realize they are acting foolishly or making a mistake.
It's neutral. You can use it in a hospital, with friends, or in a business meeting.
Yes, you can bring a fainted pet to just like a person.
British English often uses 'bring round' or 'bring him round' instead of 'bring to.'
Yes, e.g., 'The crisis brought the whole team to their senses.'
Yes, 'bring' is an irregular verb. The past tense is always 'brought.'
No, for a car you would say 'start the car' or 'revive the battery.'
'Bring about' means to cause something to happen. 'Bring to' means to revive or make realize.
Yes, though 'resuscitate' is more technical, 'bring to' is common in clinical descriptions.
Expressions liées
bring around
synonymTo revive someone or to persuade someone to change their mind.
come to
similarTo regain consciousness on one's own.
bring to light
similarTo reveal something hidden.
bring to an end
builds onTo finish something.
bring to the fore
specialized formTo make something prominent or important.
