Take past tense: took, taken
grasp, accept
Take is an irregular English verb: the past simple of take is took and the past participle is taken. Learn the three forms together — take – took – taken.
Verb forms
Base form
/teɪk/
Past Simple
/tʊk/
Past Participle
/ˈteɪkən/
Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).
Example sentences
Base form · take
I take the bus to work every morning.
Past Simple · took
He took his umbrella because it looked like rain.
Past Participle · taken
All the good seats have already been taken.
Key tenses
| Present Simple | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
|---|---|---|
I take he / she / it takes | I took | I have taken |
| Present Continuous:I am taking · he / she / it is taking | ||
Common collocations
take a break
to stop working for a short rest
take place
to happen
take care
to be careful or look after someone
Grammar guide
Take belongs to the ABC group: all three forms are different (take – took – taken), so each form has to be learnt separately.
- Past simple – took: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
- Past participle – taken: after have, has or had (present perfect, past perfect) and after be in the passive voice.
- Questions and negatives in the past simple use did + the base form: Did you take…? I didn’t take.
Verbs with the same pattern
Quick quiz
Which sentence is correct?
Questions about take
- What is the past simple of take?
- The past simple of take is took.
- What is the past participle of take?
- The past participle of take is taken.
- What are the three forms of take?
- The three forms are take – took – taken: base form, past simple and past participle.
- Is take a regular or an irregular verb?
- Take is irregular: its past simple is took, not taked.