Has taken or took

^k_A_T^ April 30, 2012 11:41

both are grammatically correct. But if we want to show that it has just happened, we usually use, has/have + past participle verb. eg: has + taken=has taken. If we use, "somebody took it".It means like somebody took it a long time ago:)

This reply was deleted.

Deborah July 29, 2011 16:54

I agree -- saying "someone has taken it!" would be natural if you had just discovered the loss. You would use "someone took it" if you were telling the story later.

And a point about conversational English:

I understand that we are using this sentence as an example only, but if you find yourself in this situation it would not be polite to say "someone took it!" right off the bat*. That would sound a little hysterical*, as if you were accusing the other people in the room. You might want to say something like "Has anyone seen my wallet? It was right here on the table. I hope no one took it!" That would show that you are a bit worried but willing to believe that it was not stolen -- maybe it just fell on the floor. Also by saying "I hope no one took it" you would not be accusing anyone directly.

The difference is in the reaction you would get from others. If you say 'I hope no one took it..." instead of "someone took it!", the people around you are much more likely to help you look for your wallet!

*Idiom meaning right away, quickly, the very first thing that happens.

*Hysterical: too emotional for the situation, esp. in fear and anxiety. Hysterical can also describe something that is very funny: "That joke was so hysterical, I fell over laughing!",

mulya rachmatoellah May 27, 2011 9:03

the explanation is very clear..thank you

Homero May 19, 2011 3:01

It is very important know when use taken and took

baty May 16, 2011 15:17

Thank you Nafis , Ravi and Josef for your clear explanation.

and thank you Noon for you topic

hanneh May 3, 2011 19:38

Iwill thank you very much because this is what I need

Spider April 23, 2011 3:36

I think-

Somebody has taken it.

this is a PP tense.

And-

Somebody took it.

This is a Past Indefinite tense.

Both sentences are correct.

But as wallet is one object, so I prefer to use 'someone' instead of 'somebody'.

Thank you

Khaliqur Rahman April 20, 2011 3:15

In both the tenses, simple past and present perfect, we talk about past action. In simple past, we tell the time and in present perfect the present position of the same past action. The choice of one tense and not the other depends on what we want to say.Would you read my blog TIME TENSE AND MEANING?

sushma April 19, 2011 20:43

Dear Noon , Both are correct but has taken is more appropriate because we use present perfect in the action happened in the past but consequences are still in the present time.

Nafis April 18, 2011 17:16

Thank you so much my friends. I'm glad that explanation was helpful. And, thank you so much dear Josef for the information.

ESL Discussion

Has taken or took

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