Je mets les assiettes, et tu apportes les fourchettes et les cuillères.

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Breakdown of Je mets les assiettes, et tu apportes les fourchettes et les cuillères.

• tu: you
• et: and
• apporter: to bring

Questions & Answers about Je mets les assiettes, et tu apportes les fourchettes et les cuillères.

Why use the verb mettre here? Would poser or placer be better?

Mettre is the everyday, idiomatic choice for setting things on the table (think: mettre la table, mettre les assiettes).

• Poser means to physically put something down and is fine too: Je pose les assiettes (sur la table).
• Placer is more formal/precise (to place carefully): Je place les assiettes.
• For the whole task, you can say Je mets la table or, a bit more formal, Je dresse la table.

Why is it apporter and not amener?

Use:

• Apporter for bringing things/objects.
• Amener for bringing people (and sometimes animals/vehicles). Contrast with taking away:
• Emporter (take objects away), emmener (take people away). Here, forks and spoons are objects, so tu apportes is correct.

Why the definite article les? Could I say des assiettes / des fourchettes / des cuillères?