We can use take to say how much time we need to do something. Different structures are possible.
Person + take + time expression + infinitive
This structure is used when the person is the subject.
- He takes hours to get dressed.
- I took two months to finish the work.
- She takes all day to get out of the bathroom.
- We took three hours to put the child to bed.
- He takes so long to answer questions.
The activity + take + person + time expression
This structure is used when the activity is the subject.
- Learning a language takes a lot of time.
- The journey took me three hours.
- Finishing the work took me two months.
Object of activity + take + person + infinitive
This structure is used when the object of the activity is the subject.
- The roof took all week to repair.
- The ferry took them two hours to unload.
- The book took two years to write.
Preparatory it is the subject
It + take + person + time + infinitive
- It took me three months to finish the work.
- It takes several months to learn a new language.
- It takes me just two minutes to get dressed.
- It took them two hours to unload the ferry.
