tomar
/toˈmaɾ/
To take in Spanish is tomar.
Tomar is used to describe getting hold of something with your hands or moving something from one place to another. It is also frequently used in Spanish to mean 'to drink' or 'to consume', such as when drinking coffee or water, whereas English does not use 'to take' for consuming liquids.
Which one should you use?
While tomar describes the act of picking something up or consuming something, llevar is used when the focus is on transporting or carrying something from one place to another. If you mean 'to take' in the sense of picking up or collecting an object, you may also use recoger.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries, be cautious with the verb coger, as it might carry vulgar connotations.
How do you pronounce it?
/toˈmaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use tomar to mean 'to take someone somewhere' (such as giving someone a ride). In that specific context, you should use llevar instead.
Did you know?
- The phrase tomar el pelo literally means 'to take the hair'. It is used idiomatically to mean 'to pull someone's leg' or to tease someone by tricking them.
- In Spanish, the phrase tomar sol describes sunbathing by treating sunlight as something the body can 'take' or consume.
- While English speakers 'make' a decision, Spanish uses tomar una decisión, treating a choice as something to be 'taken'.
Examples in context
- Voy a tomar un baño.I'm going to take a bath.This sentence shows the use of tomar regarding a bath.Tatoeba #6626650 by UsuarioX, translation #2393 by CK
- ¿Qué tren vas a tomar?What train you are going to take?This sentence shows the use of tomar regarding a train.Tatoeba #3274721 by Kary, translation #69823 by CK
- No quería tomar fotos.I didn't want to take any pictures.This sentence shows the use of tomar regarding photos.Tatoeba #7145036 by arh, translation #7144295 by CK
- ¿Puede tomar mi pedido?Can you take my order?
- Voy a tomar un café con mis amigos.I'm going to have a coffee with my friends.
- ¿Puedes agarrar mi bolso, por favor?Can you grab my purse, please?
- Voy a recoger el paquete del correo.I'm going to pick up the package from the mail.
- Mi hermana me llevó al aeropuerto.My sister took me to the airport.
- 159 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are cleaning up the living room.
- Mateo¿Puedes tomar esa caja, María?Can you take that box, María?
- MaríaSí, yo la tomo ahora.Yes, I will take it now.
- MateoGracias, ponla en la cocina.Thanks, put it in the kitchen.
- MaríaEstá bien, voy a tomarla.All right, I'm going to take it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tomar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
