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Take, spend, or pass
Take says how much time something needs, spend is using your own time or money, and pass is handing something over or letting time go by.
Quick rule
How long is needed? Take. How much of your own time or money do you use? Spend. Do you hand something over, or does time go by? Pass.
To need or require an amount of time: the trip takes an hour, it takes time to learn.
To use time or money on something: spend a day, spend twenty dollars on lunch.
To hand something to someone, to go by (time), or to spend time, especially when waiting or bored: pass the time.
How to choose
| Question | take | spend | pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does it say how much time is needed, with it (It ___ two hours)? | Yes | No | No |
| Is it a person using their own time or money (I ___ twenty dollars)? | No | Yes | SometimesSometimes |
| Is it handing something over (___ me the salt)? | No | No | Yes |
| Can it be time going by, with time as the subject (Two hours ___ )? | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
Take, spend, and pass all appear with time, but the subject changes: the thing that needs time (take), the person who uses it (spend), or time itself and the act of handing over (pass). That is why they get swapped.
How each one works
Take
It takes + time + to + verb
It takes about twenty minutes to walk to the station.
Asking how much time is needed
How long does a trip to Cusco take?
A thing that needs time
Good bread takes patience and time.
Spend
Using time in a place
We spent the whole afternoon at the pool.
Time that you use
How long do you spend on your phone every day?
Spending money: spend + on
I spend too much money on snacks.
Pass
Handing something over
She passed her sister the sugar.
Time going by
Time passes quickly when you are having fun.
Filling time while you wait
We played cards to pass the time at the airport.
What comes next
it takes plus time plus to plus verb
It took us three hours to drive home.
how long does it take?
How long does it take to learn Portuguese?
spend plus time plus -ing
I spent the morning fixing my bike.
spend plus money plus on plus thing
They spent a lot on the wedding.
pass plus person plus thing
Pass your sister the sugar.
pass the time plus -ing
He passed the time reading old magazines.
Set phrases
Take
- take a long time
- to need a lot of time
Spend
- spend money on
- to pay for something
Pass
- pass with flying colors
- to succeed very well in an exam
- pass the salt
- to hand the salt to someone at the table
Almost the same
The trip takes four hours.
The time needed.
We spent four hours on the trip.
The time we used.
Four hours passed before we arrived.
Time went by.
I spent two hours reading.
I used two hours of my day.
I read to pass the time.
I do it while I wait.
In a conversation
- A:
How long does it take to get to the beach?
- B:
About two hours. We usually spend the whole day there.
- A:
What do you do on the bus to pass the time?
- B:
I listen to music. Can you pass me the water, please?
Common mistakes
Wrong: She past me the ball.
Right: She passed me the ball.
Passed is the verb and past is the time or place. They sound the same, so they get swapped.
Wrong: It takes me two hours reading the report.
Right: It takes me two hours to read the report.
After it takes + time, the next verb uses to. The -ing form goes with spend: I spend two hours reading.
Memory trick
Look at the subject. If it is it or the thing (it takes), use take. If you are the one using your time or money (I spend), use spend. If time itself is the subject, or you hand something over, use pass.
It depends
- More meanings of take
- Oxford also lists take for sitting an exam (take a test), measuring (take a temperature), and needing something for an event (it takes one careless driver).
- Pass the time
- Oxford defines pass with time as spending it, especially when waiting or bored: We sang songs to pass the time. Spend does not need the waiting.
FAQ
What is the difference between spend time and take time?
Take time says how long something needs (it takes time). Spend time says how you use your own time (I spend time with them).
Is it pass time or spend time?
Spend time is the general phrase. Pass the time means to do something while waiting or when bored, per Oxford.
What does pass mean with time?
It can mean time going by (six months passed), or filling time while waiting (to pass the time).