Quick Definition · Verb
To take means to move something or someone from one place to another, or to accept, receive, or hold something. It is one of the most common and productive verbs in English, forming dozens of fixed phrases and phrasal verbs.
Etymology
Take comes from Old Norse taka, meaning "to grasp, seize, or lay hold of". It entered Middle English following the Scandinavian settlements in northern and eastern England from the 9th century onwards, gradually displacing the Old English equivalent niman.
The same Norse root underlies related words in modern Scandinavian languages — Swedish ta and Danish tage both descend from taka. The word has been recorded in English writing since around 1200 CE and has since expanded into an extraordinarily wide range of meanings, idioms, and phrasal verbs.
Its remarkable productivity is a direct result of its broad, flexible core sense: any act of receiving, grasping, or transporting can be expressed with take, making it one of the ten most frequently used verbs in British English.
Example Sentences
| Level | Sentence | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | Take the first turning on the left. | imperative — giving directions |
| B1 | She took her umbrella because it looked like rain. | simple past — carrying/bringing something |
| B1 | It takes about forty minutes to get there by train. | impersonal it + takes — expressing time required |
| B2 | The company has decided to take on three new members of staff. | phrasal verb: take on — to employ |
| C1 | The government must take decisive action if it is to restore public confidence in the economy. | collocation: take action — formal/written register |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| take a photo | Can I take a photo of your garden? |
| take a break | Let's take a break and have a cup of tea. |
| take an exam | She is taking her driving test next Friday. |
| take notes | Please take notes during the lecture. |
| take a taxi / bus / train | We took the last train home. |
| take part (in) | Over two hundred students took part in the competition. |
| take responsibility | He was willing to take responsibility for the mistake. |
| take a risk | Starting a business always means taking a risk. |
| take care (of) | She stayed home to take care of her younger brother. |
| take action | The council agreed to take action on the flooding issue. |
Usage Notes
Key Points for Learners
- Take vs bring: Use take for movement away from the speaker or reference point ("Take this to the office"), and bring for movement towards the speaker ("Bring your passport tomorrow"). This is the most common confusion among ESL learners.
- Irregular forms: Take is irregular — simple past is took, past participle is taken. Never use "taked" — this is always wrong.
- Impersonal it takes: Use "It takes + time/effort + to-infinitive" to say how much time or effort something requires: "It takes courage to admit you are wrong."
- Phrasal verbs: Take forms a large number of phrasal verbs with very different meanings: take off (depart/remove), take over (assume control), take up (begin a hobby / occupy space), take out (remove / go on a date), take back (retract / return).
- Register: Many take collocations (take action, take measures, take precedence) belong to formal or written English. In casual speech, shorter alternatives like "do something" or "deal with it" are often preferred.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I taked the bus to school this morning.
I took the bus to school this morning. (take is irregular — past tense is took, not taked)
Can you bring this letter to the post office for me? (speaker is staying here)
Can you take this letter to the post office for me? (movement away from the speaker)
It takes three hours arriving by car.
It takes three hours to arrive by car. (it takes is followed by a to-infinitive, not a gerund)
Related Words
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Frequently Asked Questions about “take”
What does take mean in English?
Take has several core meanings: to move something from one place to another ('Take the book off the shelf'), to accept or receive something ('Take a seat'), to travel by a particular route or transport ('Take the bus'), and to require a certain amount of time or effort ('It takes ten minutes to walk there'). Context determines which sense is intended.
What is the past tense of take?
Take is an irregular verb. The simple past is 'took': 'She took the exam last week.' The past participle is 'taken': 'Have you taken your medicine?' These forms must be memorised as they do not follow the regular -ed pattern.
What is the difference between take and bring?
Take suggests movement away from the speaker or a reference point: 'Take this letter to the post office.' Bring suggests movement towards the speaker or a reference point: 'Bring your dictionary to class tomorrow.' A useful test: if you are moving something towards where you are, use bring; if away, use take.
What are the most common collocations with take?
The most frequent collocations include: take a photo, take a break, take an exam, take notes, take a taxi, take a risk, take responsibility, take part (in), take action, and take care (of). Learning these fixed phrases will help you sound more natural in everyday English.
What does 'take' mean in phrasal verbs?
Take combines with many particles to form phrasal verbs: take off (a plane leaving the ground, or removing clothing), take up (start a hobby or occupy space), take over (assume control), take out (remove something, or go on a date), take back (return or retract a statement), and take on (accept a challenge or employ someone). Each phrasal verb has its own distinct meaning.
How is 'take' used in the phrase 'it takes'?
'It takes' is used to express the time, effort, or qualities required for something: 'It takes courage to apologise.' 'It takes about twenty minutes by bus.' The structure is: it takes + (person) + time/noun + to + infinitive. This pattern is extremely common in both spoken and written English.
What is the difference between take and get?
Both take and get can mean to receive or obtain something, but there is a nuance. Take often implies a more deliberate, physical action of moving or choosing: 'Take whichever seat you like.' Get is broader and can imply obtaining, arriving, or a change of state: 'I got a new job.' In many informal contexts they overlap, but take tends to sound more formal.
Can take be used as a noun?
Yes. As a noun, take refers to a recording session in film or music ('That was a perfect take'), a personal opinion or interpretation ('What is your take on the situation?'), or money received ('The box-office take was impressive'). The noun take is less common than the verb but appears frequently in creative and business contexts.
What is the origin of the word take?
Take comes from Old Norse 'taka', meaning to grasp or seize, which entered English after the Viking settlements in Britain from the 9th century onwards. It gradually replaced the Old English verb 'niman' (to take) in most uses. The Old Norse influence on everyday English verbs is also seen in words like call, want, and get.
How can I practise using take in English?
LexFizz's Complete the Sentence exercise includes many high-frequency verbs including take and its collocations. You can also use the Flash Cards tool to drill phrasal verbs with take. Watching British television dramas or listening to podcasts is an excellent way to hear take used naturally across a range of contexts.