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	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use take for present simple with I, you, we, they	🔹 在与 I、you、we、they 一起使用的一般现在时中使用 take	I take the bus to work.	🔹 我乘坐公交去上班。
Add -s for he, she, it	🔹 对 he、she、it 加 -s	She takes the bus to work.	🔹 她乘坐公交去上班。
Use take for commands	🔹 在命令句中使用 take	Take a seat.	🔹 请就坐。
Use take after modals	🔹 在情态动词之后使用 take	You should take a break.	🔹 你应该休息一下。

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	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use took for finished past actions	🔹 对已完成的过去动作使用 took	We took a taxi last night.	🔹 昨晚我们打车了。
Do not use took after have	🔹 在 have 之后不要使用 took	I have taken the train before.	🔹 我之前乘坐过火车。
Use did + take for negatives and questions in past simple	🔹 在过去简单时的否定和疑问中使用 did + take	Did you take my keys?	🔹 你拿走了我的钥匙吗？

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	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use have or has + taken for present perfect	🔹 使用 have 或 has + taken 表示现在完成时	I have taken this class before.	🔹 我之前上过这门课。
Use had + taken for past perfect	🔹 使用 had + taken 表示过去完成时	She had taken the wrong train.	🔹 她曾经乘错了火车。
Use be + taken for passive voice	🔹 使用 be + taken 表示被动语态	The money was taken from the desk.	🔹 钱被从桌子上拿走了。

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	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use have or has + taken for experience or relevance now	🔹 使用 have 或 has + taken 表示现在的经历或相关性	They have taken that route many times.	🔹 他们多次走那条路。
Use had + taken for earlier past action	🔹 使用 had + taken 表示更早的过去动作	By noon, he had taken three calls.	🔹 中午之前，他已经接了三通电话。

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	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Use be + taken to emphasize the result on the object	🔹 使用 be + taken 来强调宾语的结果	My bag was taken.	🔹 我的包被拿走了。
Add by + agent only when important	🔹 只有在行动者重要时才加 by + agent	The painting was taken by thieves.	🔹 那幅画被盗贼拿走了。
Match be to the time	🔹 将 be 与时间匹配	The documents are taken to the office every morning.	🔹 这些文件每天早上被带到办公室。

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	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Present simple questions use do or does + take	🔹 现在简单疑问句用 do 或 does + take	Does he take the train?	🔹 他坐火车吗？
Past simple questions use did + take	🔹 过去简单疑问句用 did + take	Did they take a photo?	🔹 他们拍了一张照片吗？
Present perfect questions use have or has + taken	🔹 现在完成时疑问句用 have 或 has + taken	Have you taken the test?	🔹 你参加过考试吗？
Negatives use do not or does not + take, did not + take	🔹 否定用 do not 或 does not + take，或 did not + take	She did not take the call.	🔹 她没有接那个电话。

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	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
take something	🔹 take 某物	pick up or carry	🔹 拾起或携带	Take your jacket.	🔹 Take your jacket.
take a bus train taxi	🔹 take a bus train taxi	travel using a method	🔹 通过某种方式出行	I took the subway.	🔹 我搭乘地铁。
take medicine	🔹 take medicine	consume a drug or pill	🔹 吃药	He takes this medicine daily.	🔹 他每天服用这种药。
take a break	🔹 take a break	stop working briefly	🔹 暂时停止工作	Let’s take a break.	🔹 Let’s take a break.
take a photo	🔹 take a photo	capture an image	🔹 拍照	She took a photo of the view.	🔹 她拍下了风景的照片。

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	🇨🇳 中文 词/短语	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 定义	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
take a shower	🔹 take a shower	wash yourself	🔹 洗澡	I took a shower earlier.	🔹 我刚才洗了个澡。
take a look	🔹 take a look	look briefly	🔹 看一眼	Have you taken a look at it?	🔹 你看过它吗？
take responsibility	🔹 take responsibility	accept duty or blame	🔹 承担责任	She has taken responsibility.	🔹 她已承担责任。
take place	🔹 take place	happen	🔹 发生	The meeting took place yesterday.	🔹 会议昨天举行了。

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	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
Definite past time often uses took	🔹 确定的过去时间通常使用 took	I took the exam on Monday.	🔹 我在周一参加了考试。
Unfinished time periods often use have taken	🔹 未完成的时间段通常使用 have taken	We have taken three calls today.	🔹 我们今天已经接了三通电话。
Life experience often uses have taken	🔹 生活经历通常使用 have taken	She has taken a cooking class before.	🔹 她之前参加过一次烹饪课。