Last and take
The German verb “dauern” can either be translated as “to last” or “to take.” Do you know when to use which one? Try to complete the following sentences with the correct form of either last or take.
- The movie ______________ 2 hours.
- It will _____________ 2 minutes for you to walk from the train station to the bus stop.
These descriptions should help you:
Last is used with events, films, shows, etc. Last best fits sentence one above, “The movie lasts 2 hours.”
Here are a few more example sentences:
- Madonna’s fans were disappointed that her concert only lasted 1 1/2 hours.
- The sales conference will last 3 days and will include a banquet dinner on the final evening.
Take is used for doing something or going somewhere. Take best fits sentence two above, “It will take 2 minutes for you to walk from the train station to the bus stop.”
Here are a few more example sentences:
- It takes forever to get from one end of town to the other now with all of the construction.
- It only took Jim 2 years to finish his doctorate.
Note that we do NOT say that we need a certain amount of time to go somewhere (e.g. NOT “I need 5 minutes to walk to the library,” but “It takes me 5 minutes to walk to the library.”)