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ENGLISH VERB

take on

to take on (a task)

  • Irregular verb
  • Gerund: taking on
  • Past participle: taken on

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Simple present · now, habits and facts

  1. I I take on
  2. you you take on
  3. he, she, it he takes on
  4. we we take on
  5. they they take on

Past

Simple past · finished actions

  1. I I took on
  2. you you took on
  3. he, she, it he took on
  4. we we take on
  5. they they took on

Future

Future · “will”

  1. I I am going to take on
  2. you you are going to take on
  3. he, she, it he is going to take on
  4. we we are going to take on
  5. they they are going to take on

Present continuous

Present continuous · happening right now

  1. I I am taking on
  2. you you are taking on
  3. he, she, it he is taking on
  4. we we are taking on
  5. they they are taking on

Present perfect

Present perfect · “have done”

  1. I I have already taken on
  2. you you have already taken on
  3. he, she, it he has already taken on
  4. we we have already taken on
  5. they they have already taken on

Conditional

Conditional · “would”

  1. I I would take on
  2. you you would take on
  3. he, she, it he would take on
  4. we we would take on
  5. they they would take on

Imperative

Imperative · requests and orders

  1. you, take on!

How to use take on

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    She takes on every project the boss suggests.

    She takes on every project the boss suggests.

  2. Past

    I took on the garden when my father got sick.

    I took over the garden when my father got sick.

  3. Future

    We will take on two new clients in March.

    We're going to take on two new clients in March.

  4. Present continuous

    The restaurant is taking on extra staff for the summer.

    The restaurant is hiring more people for the summer.

  5. Present perfect

    You have taken on too much this semester.

    You took on too much this semester.

  6. Conditional

    I would take on the night shift for extra pay.

    I would take on the night shift for extra pay.

  7. Imperative

    Take on one task at a time, not five.

    Take on one task at a time, not five.

Good to know

  • "Take on" is to take on work or responsibility; it also means to hire: "the shop took on two helpers".
  • "Take on too much" is to try to take on the whole world, to take on more than you can handle.

Where you hear take on

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

English for Brazilians · Advanced Level 3

  • I don't have the capacity to take that on right now. I don't have the capacity to take that on right now.
  • Sam took on the book sale. Sam took on the book sale.
  • I could take that on after the sign is printed. I could take that on after the sign is printed.

English for Brazilians · Fluency Level 2

  • I don't have the capacity to take that on right now. I don't have the capacity to take that on right now.
  • Sam took on the book sale. Sam took on the book sale.
  • I could take that on after the sign is printed. I could take that on after the sign is printed.
16
I can't take on another deliverable

Advanced Level 3 · I don't have the capacity to take that on right now. · I could take that on after the sign is printed.

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Two people, the same task

Fluency Level 2 · Two invitations is one too many. Dave, could you take the lead on the invitation, with Emma supporting?

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular verb.