take time v. take the time

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

I stumbled across this sentence in a book:

I picked up on the expression take time, used in the sentence. In my opinion, it should read take the time, because, according to the dictionary.cambridge.org dictionary,
take time means to need a long time
take the time means to make the effort to do something
…and the intended meaning in the formerly quoted sentence is “to make the effort”

Please, tell me what is correct.

Thanks a million.

2

Do dictionaries include ellipted examples?

3

Beats me.
Thanks for your reply, but I’d just as soon native speakers shed some light on the matter.

4

I think we say “take time” pretty often. Take time to smell the roses, take time to tell the people you love how you feel.

It doesn’t mean “take a long time” when you say it that way.

5

Hi Alex

The collocation “take time” does not mean only “need a long time”. I’d say it depends on whether it is a person or an activity that is taking time.

When “take time” means “need a long time”, a word such as “it” or a specific activity will generally be the subject of the verb “take”. The subject will not be a person. A person might have to put up with or endure the “long time that is required to do something”, but it is ultimately the activity that “takes time” when the meaning is “need a long time”. For example:

  1. Building a successful business takes time.
  2. It took time to find the perfect architect for our dream house.
  3. Some of the planned changes will take time to realize because of the huge costs involved.

If you want to add the sense that a person was directly affected by “the need for a long time”, then you can say something like one of these:

  1. It took him time to get over the loss of his wife.
  2. It took us time to work out all the details.

In the sentences above, however, it is still the activity that “needs a long time”. The word “it” refers to the activity:

  1. It = getting over the loss of his wife
  2. It = working out all the details

Using “take the time” means, as you say, “make an effort to do something”, often a very special or specific effort. And it is a person who does this. However, you can also say that a person “takes time to do something”. I’d say without the word “the”, the sense that it was a “special effort” tends to be lost, and it is simply a general statement that someone used some of his/her time to do something. (See Barb’s post above.)

“Take the time” can be used sarcastically if someone fails to make even a small effort:

  • He didn’t even take the time to say thank you after all the help I gave him.
    .
6

Why only native speakers?

7

And Molly’s post about ellipsis. :wink:

8

Yeah Alex! Why only native speakers? You’ve got something against non-native speakers? :? :shock: :x :lol:

9

Hi, Amy and Barb-D

Thanks for your explanations, I grasped your idea. :smiley:

PS: @Molly and @Daemon
I’m convinced that only native speakers know the language to the full, non-native speakers still make mistakes, and still don’t know about the language as much as native speakers do :wink:

10

I’m convinced that only native speakers know the language to the full, non-native speakers still make mistakes, and still don’t know about the language as much as native speakers do.

Do native speakers make mistakes? So, if a non-native speaker now asks you this question:

‘Please tell me what is correct, “We greatly appreciate customers who take time/take the time to let us know of their complimentary remarks”.’

you won’t want to help them, right? Because you aren’t native, you won’t be able to help a fellow non-native, right?