Lesson 78 · Stage 6: Verb patterns
“It takes … to”
IntermediateForm & use
it takes + time/effort + to-verb — what something needs
1.Form
It takes + time / effort + to + verb says how much time or effort something needs. It is an empty subject; only take changes for tense (take – took – taken).
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| It takes + time + to + verb | It takes ten minutes to walk there. |
| It takes + person + time + to + verb | It takes me ten minutes to walk there. |
| It takes + time + for + person / thing + to + verb | It took a week for my ankle to heal. |
| It takes + effort / quality + to + verb | It takes courage to say no. |
| How long does it take (+ person) + to + verb? | How long does it take you to get to work? |
Learners often use lose or spend with it. With it, the verb for time needed is always take: It took me two hours to fix the printer. With a person as subject, use spend + -ing: I spent two hours fixing it.
2.How it is used
1. The time needed to do something
It takes about two hours to get from Hanoi to Hai Phong by bus.
It took me three years to learn to drive.
It only takes a minute to sign up.
2. Asking how long: How long does / did / will it take…?
How long does it take to boil an egg? — About seven minutes.
How long did it take you to get your driving licence?
Short answers: It takes about an hour. / Not long. / Ages! (a very long time) / It depends on the traffic.
3. Effort, qualities or things that are needed: It takes + practice / patience / courage / money…
It takes a lot of practice to play the guitar well.
It takes courage to speak in front of a big crowd.
4. When someone or something else needs the time: for + person / thing + to + verb
It took six weeks for my visa to arrive.
It took ages for the bus to come.
You can also make the activity the subject: The journey takes six hours. / Getting a visa took us six weeks. A person can be the subject too: She took ages to reply.
3.Take in different tenses
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| present simple — usual, general | It takes me an hour to cook dinner. |
| past simple — finished | It took me an hour to cook dinner yesterday. |
| present perfect — up to now | It has taken us three months to save half the money. |
| future — prediction | It will take them a month to build the bridge. |
| would — imagined | It would take forever to walk there. |
| continuous — still going on | It's taking ages to download. |
When the time is finished, use the past simple, not the continuous: It took me five years to finish my degree.
4.Take, spend, last, need
| Verb | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| take | subject it or the activity; time needed + to + verb | It takes me two hours to clean the house. |
| spend | a person as subject; spend + time + -ing | I spend two hours cleaning the house. |
| last | how long an event goes on (no to + verb) | The film lasts two hours. |
| need | a person as subject; needing time | I need two hours to finish this. |
It took me two days to paint my room. = I spent two days painting my room.
5.Common mistakes
It takes me thirty minutes for walking to school.It takes me thirty minutes to walk to school.
It takes + time + to + verb.
It spends me two hours to do my homework.It takes me two hours to do my homework.
Spend needs a person as subject: I spend two hours doing…
It take me an hour to cook dinner.It takes me an hour to cook dinner.
It → takes (add -s).
It took to me two weeks to get over the flu.It took me two weeks to get over the flu.
No to before the person.
It has took me two years to save for this bike.It has taken me two years to save for this bike.
The past participle of take is taken.
It needs two hours to drive from Hanoi to Ninh Binh.It takes two hours to drive from Hanoi to Ninh Binh.
With it + to + verb, use take.
Examples
- It takes about two hours to get from Hanoi to Hai Phong by bus.
- It took us ten minutes to find a parking space.
- It takes about an hour to bake this cake.
- It will take them a month to build the new bridge.
