took

Took is the simple past tense of the verb take. It is irregular; the base form is take and the past participle is taken. In many contexts it means to physically seize, carry, or remove something, but it also appears in idiomatic expressions that convey duration, change of possession, or action.

Common uses include: taking something from someone (He took the book from the shelf), transporting someone or something (They took the bus), obtaining or receiving (She took a gift), and consuming time (It took two hours). It can also mean to capture or to photograph (took a photo).

Many phrasal verbs use took: took place (occurred), took part (participated), took up (started a hobby or job, or accepted a position), took on (assumed responsibility or employed someone), took off (began to fly or became successful), took away (removed).

Grammar notes: the past tense is 'took', so sentences change accordingly (I took, you took, he took). The negative uses did not take (I did not take a break). Questions use did: Did you take the train? The past participle is 'taken', used in perfect tenses (has taken, had taken).

Etymology: took derives from Old English and is part of the Germanic family of verbs. It is cognate with Dutch nemen, German nehmen, and Swedish ta, reflecting shared roots across Germanic languages.