Hey, you guys! The verb take in English can have multiple meanings and many translations. It can have the idea of removing , consuming, capturing, gaining, occupying or acquiring something, among various other possibilities. Besides, there are a number of combinations, also known as collocations with the word take that are used frequently by English speakers. Today’s post will compile twelve of these expressions for you, in addition to including some sample sentences to help you understand its usage. So, let’s take a look?

To take a walk – to move by foot either for exercise or for pleasure

• The weather is so nice today, why don’t we take a walk? 
• I have to take a walk with my dog twice a day

To take a seat – to select a place to sit down

• Take a seat while you wait for the doctor to call you 
• When I got to class the auditorium was already crowed, so I took a seat at the back

To take a look (at) – to briefly and quickly glance at someting, in an informal way

• I’m having trouble with my math homework. Can I take a look at yours? 
• I went to the shop so they could take a look at my car before the trip 

To take a taxi/bus/ subway – to get on the transportation

• My mom’s car broke down, so she had to take the bus to work today
• You can get to the airport either by taking the subway or a cab

To take a test -to do an exam

• In order to apply to this school, you have to take a test first 
• Marianne is studying hard because she has to take an important test on November

To take a class – to be a student in a certain topic or subject

• I’m taking Spanish classes this semester to have a better chance at getting a job 
• If you want to improve your concentration, you should take yoga classes 

To take a rest – to stop what you are doing to relax for a moment

• I’ve worked for two years in a row, now I need my vacation to take a rest 
• After an exhausting trip, the flight attendant had two days off to take a rest 

To take a break – similar to ‘take a rest’, to interrupt your activities for a while

• You’ve been studying all week, why don’t you take a break now? 
• I’m hungry, let’s take a break and have some snacks? (Estou com fome, vamos fazer uma pausa e comer um lanche?)

To take notes – to write down small piece of information

• The decorator took notes of the living room measurements and dimensions
• If you don’t take notes in class, you’ll regret it later 

To take a picture – to snap a photograph

• Waiter, can you take a picture of our group, please? 
• The photographer Robert Capa took pictures of the atrocities da guerra 

To take a chance – to do something that involves risk

• In the business world, it’s important to take a chance 
• I wanted to try a new recipe for the dinner party, but I decided not to take any chances 

To take (x time) – the time necessary to do something, to complete an action

• It took me three hours to get to the airport with traffic 
• The cake takes thirty minutes to bake 

So it’s time to take a chance and start using these expressions! Have a nice week!

Check out these related post below to better understand collocations!:

What is a Collocation?