What Does “Bring sth forward” Mean?
“Bring sth forward” means to move an event, date, or appointment to an earlier time than originally planned.
Introduction
The phrase “bring sth forward” is a common English phrasal verb used when rescheduling or changing plans. It involves moving something—usually an event, meeting, or deadline—to an earlier date or time. Understanding the “bring sth forward meaning” helps learners communicate clearly about changes in schedules, which is useful in both professional and everyday situations. For example, if a meeting was planned for Friday but is now set for Wednesday, you have “brought it forward.” This phrase is practical and often used in business, education, and social settings.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: bring something forward
- Type: transitive
- Level: B2 (Upper-Intermediate)
- Meaning: to move an event or date to an earlier time
Structure (Grammar Rules)
“Bring sth forward” is a separable phrasal verb, meaning you can place the object between “bring” and “forward” or after “forward.”
- bring something forward
- bring forward something
Examples:
- They brought the meeting forward.
- They brought forward the meeting.
How to Use “Bring sth forward”?
You use “bring sth forward” when you want to talk about changing the date or time of an event to an earlier moment. It is often used with events like meetings, deadlines, appointments, or presentations. The phrase is helpful in work, school, and social contexts to explain scheduling changes.
Examples
- We need to bring the deadline forward to next Monday.
- Can you bring the appointment forward by two days?
- The company brought the product launch forward due to demand.
- They brought forward the concert because of the singer’s schedule.
- Bring the meeting forward if anyone has a conflict on the original date.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: They brought forward the meeting yesterday. (without context, confusing tense)
- Correct: They brought the meeting forward to yesterday.
- Incorrect: Can you bring forward the meeting? (missing object placement clarity)
- Correct: Can you bring the meeting forward?
Differences / Synonyms
Similar phrasal verbs include:
- Move up: Also means to change an event to an earlier time. Example: “They moved the meeting up to Monday.”
- Put forward: Means to suggest or propose an idea or date, not necessarily earlier.
- Bring forward focuses specifically on making something happen sooner.
Unlike “postpone,” which means to delay or make something later, “bring sth forward” means the opposite.
Common Collocations
- bring the meeting forward
- bring the deadline forward
- bring the appointment forward
- bring the event forward
- bring the presentation forward
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of bring sth forward:
Real-life Dialogue
Anna: The project deadline is next Friday, right?
Tom: Yes, but the manager wants to bring it forward to Wednesday.
Anna: That’s soon! We need to finish everything earlier.
Tom: Exactly. We should start working on the report today.
Practice
Fill in the blank with the correct form of “bring forward”:
- The company decided to ________ the product launch ________ by two weeks.
- Can you ________ the meeting ________ to tomorrow?
- They ________ the deadline ________ because of the urgent request.
FAQs
- Q: Can “bring sth forward” be used for people? A: No, it is used for events, dates, or appointments, not people.
- Q: Is “bring forward” the same as “move up”? A: Yes, both mean to make something happen earlier.
- Q: Can I say “bring forward the meeting” or “bring the meeting forward”? A: Both are correct; the phrasal verb is separable.
- Q: Is “bring sth forward” formal or informal? A: It is neutral and suitable for both formal and informal contexts.
- Q: Does “bring forward” mean to postpone? A: No, it means to make something happen earlier, the opposite of postpone.
