Take has three key forms: take is the base form, took is the simple past, and taken is the past participle. You choose between them based on the tense and whether you need an auxiliary verb like have or be. Learning the pattern helps you speak and write about actions in the present, past, and in perfect or passive structures.

Use take for the present simple, imperative, and after modal verbs. In the present simple, only the third-person singular changes to takes. After modals like can, will, and should, you keep the base form take.

Rule	Example
Use take for present simple with I, you, we, they	I take the bus to work.
Add -s for he, she, it	She takes the bus to work.
Use take for commands	Take a seat.
Use take after modals	You should take a break.

Use took for the simple past to talk about a finished action at a specific past time. It does not combine with have or be. Time words like yesterday, last week, and in 2020 often signal that you want took.

Rule	Example
Use took for finished past actions	We took a taxi last night.
Do not use took after have	I have taken the train before.
Use did + take for negatives and questions in past simple	Did you take my keys?

Taken is the past participle form and normally needs an auxiliary verb. It appears most often with have in perfect tenses and with be in passive voice. You do not use taken alone as the main verb in a simple tense.

Rule	Example
Use have or has + taken for present perfect	I have taken this class before.
Use had + taken for past perfect	She had taken the wrong train.
Use be + taken for passive voice	The money was taken from the desk.

Perfect tenses use taken to connect a past action to a later time. Present perfect focuses on life experience or a past action with present relevance. Past perfect shows that one past action happened before another past moment.

Rule	Example
Use have or has + taken for experience or relevance now	They have taken that route many times.
Use had + taken for earlier past action	By noon, he had taken three calls.

In passive voice, the focus is on what happened to the object, not who did it. Use a form of be plus taken, and add by + agent only if the doer matters. Passive is common in news, formal writing, and when the agent is unknown.

Rule	Example
Use be + taken to emphasize the result on the object	My bag was taken.
Add by + agent only when important	The painting was taken by thieves.
Match be to the time	The documents are taken to the office every morning.

For present and past simple, use do-support: do or does with take, and did with take. For perfect tenses, put have, has, or had before the subject and keep taken. This keeps the main verb form consistent and avoids errors like did took or have took.

Rule	Example
Present simple questions use do or does + take	Does he take the train?
Past simple questions use did + take	Did they take a photo?
Present perfect questions use have or has + taken	Have you taken the test?
Negatives use do not or does not + take, did not + take	She did not take the call.

Take is highly flexible and its form changes with tense, but the core meanings stay stable. It can mean pick up or carry, accept or receive, consume, or travel by a method. Understanding the meaning helps you choose the right object and preposition with take.

Word/Phrase	Definition	Example
take something	pick up or carry	Take your jacket.
take a bus train taxi	travel using a method	I took the subway.
take medicine	consume a drug or pill	He takes this medicine daily.
take a break	stop working briefly	Let’s take a break.
take a photo	capture an image	She took a photo of the view.

Many common phrases use take plus a noun, and they work in all tenses by switching to took or taken. Learn the phrase as a unit, then change only the verb form to match the grammar. This makes your English sound natural and fluent.

Word/Phrase	Definition	Example
take a shower	wash yourself	I took a shower earlier.
take a look	look briefly	Have you taken a look at it?
take responsibility	accept duty or blame	She has taken responsibility.
take place	happen	The meeting took place yesterday.

Time expressions often guide which form you need. Definite finished times usually call for took. Unfinished time periods, life experience, or results important now often call for have or has taken.

Rule	Example
Definite past time often uses took	I took the exam on Monday.
Unfinished time periods often use have taken	We have taken three calls today.
Life experience often uses have taken	She has taken a cooking class before.