Take, Took, Taken
This short guide explains how to use take, took and taken with clear examples and tables. Each section focuses on one form so you can see patterns fast.
Take
Use take (the base form) for present actions, general habits, and when you plan to do something. It appears after to and with helpers like will, can and do.
Examples
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌅 I take a photo every morning to capture the sunrise. | I take a photo every morning to capture the sunrise. |
| ☕ I take my coffee outside to enjoy the fresh air. | I take my coffee outside to enjoy the fresh air. |
| 🗺️ I take a different path to the park today. | I take a different path to the park today. |
| 📷 I take a moment to frame the perfect shot. | I take a moment to frame the perfect shot. |
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Took
Use took (the simple past) for completed actions that happened at a specific time in the past. It works for single events and short sequences. Use it when you mention when something happened or when the moment is clear.
Examples
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌇 I took a picture of the colorful sunset. | I took a picture of the colorful sunset. |
| 🍎 I took an apple from the picnic basket. | I took an apple from the picnic basket. |
| 🐕 I took a short break to play with the dog. | I took a short break to play with the dog. |
| 🎈 I took a balloon from the vendor at the park. | I took a balloon from the vendor at the park. |
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Taken
Use taken (the past participle) with perfect tenses and the passive voice. Pair it with helpers like have, has, had for perfect forms, or with be + by for passives. It shows an action’s relation to another time or highlights that someone did the action.
Examples
| English Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 📸 The best photo was taken just as the sun dipped below the horizon. | The best photo was taken just as the sun dipped below the horizon. |
| 🧺 All the sandwiches were taken before I got to the picnic blanket. | All the sandwiches were taken before I got to the picnic blanket. |
| 🪁 The kite was taken by a gust of wind and flew over the trees. | The kite was taken by a gust of wind and flew over the trees. |
| 🐦 The bird’s nest was taken over by squirrels. | The bird’s nest was taken over by squirrels. |
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Summary
Remember: use take for present and planned actions, took for past events, and taken for perfect tenses and passives. Switching them changes the meaning and time, so match the form to what you want to say.
Quick Review
| English Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| take | (base form) use for present, plans, and after helpers |
| took | (simple past) use for completed past actions at known times |
| taken | (past participle) use with perfect tenses and passives |
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Last updated: Tue Sep 16, 2025