Difference between Last and Take with time

Take and Last are used to talk about the time necessary for something

Students are often uncertain when to use take and last as verbs in the English language when referring to time.

Take is generally used when we are in control of the action and it suggests more active involvement:

• My homework normally takes me one hour everyday.

Last is generally used to talk about the duration of something and implies a more passive experience:

• The lessons in the school last 60 minutes each.
• The film lasts 90 minutes.

When we use the word time or the pronoun it to represent time and when it is followed by a personal pronoun (me, you, her, him or them) we have to use take, not last.

• It only takes me five minutes to walk to work now.
• It used to take me over an hour to get to work!

Practise the difference between Take and Last with this FREE test

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