English → French
take /BrE teɪk 
, AmE teɪk / ▶ [Sizes]
A
noun
1 Cinema prise f
‘it's a take!’ ‘elle est bonne!’
2 Fishing, Hunting (of fish) prise f; (of game) tableau m
3 , Business (amount received) recette f
B
transitive verb
prét took
past participle taken
1 (take hold of) prendre [object, money]
to take sb by the arm/hand/throat prendre qn par le bras/par la main/à la gorge
to take sb's arm/hand prendre le bras/la main de qn
to take sth from prendre qch sur [shelf, table]; prendre qch dans [drawer, box]
to take sth out of sth sortir qch de qch
the passage is taken from his latest book le passage est tiré de son dernier livre
2 (use violently)
to take a knife/an axe to sb attaquer qn avec un couteau/une hache
3 (have by choice) prendre [bath, shower, holiday]
to take lessons prendre des leçons (in de)
we take a newspaper/three pints of milk every day nous prenons le journal/trois pintes de lait tous les jours
we take the Gazette nous recevons la Gazette
I'll take a pound of apples, please donnez-moi une livre de pommes, s'il vous plaît
take a seat! asseyez-vous!
to take a wife/a husband prendre femme/un mari
4 (carry along) emporter, prendre [object]; emmener [person]
to take sb to school/to work/to the hospital emmener qn à l'école/au travail/à l'hôpital
to take a letter/a cheque to the post office porter une lettre/un chèque à la poste
to take chairs into the garden porter des chaises dans le jardin
to take the car to the garage emmener la voiture au garage
the book? he's taken it with him le livre? il l'a emporté
to take sb sth, to take sth to sb apporter qch à qn
to take sb dancing/swimming emmener qn danser/se baigner
to take sth upstairs/downstairs monter/descendre qch
you can't take him anywhere! il n'est pas sortable!
5 (lead, guide)
I'll take you through the procedure je vous montrerai comment on procède
to take the actors through the scene faire travailler la scène aux acteurs
I'll take you up to the second floor/to your room je vais vous conduire au deuxième étage/à votre chambre
6 (transport) to take sb to [bus] conduire or [place]; [road, path] conduire or [place]
his work takes him to many different countries son travail l'appelle à se déplacer dans beaucoup de pays différents
what took you to Brussels? qu'est-ce que vous êtes allé faire à Bruxelles?
7 (use to get somewhere) prendre [bus, taxi, plane etc]; prendre [road, path]
take the first turn on the right/left prenez la première à droite/à gauche
8 (negotiate) [driver, car] prendre [corner, bend]; [horse] sauter [fence]
9 (accept) accepter, recevoir [bribe, money]; prendre [patients, pupils]; accepter [job]; prendre [phone call]; [machine] accepter [coin]; [shop, restaurant etc] accepter [credit card, cheque]; [union, employee] accepter [reduction, cut]
will you take £10 for the radio? je vous offre 10 livres sterling en échange de votre radio
that's my last offer, take it or leave it ! c'est ma dernière proposition, c'est à prendre ou à laisser!
whisky? I can take it or leave it! le whisky? je peux très bien m'en passer
10 (require) [activity, course of action] demander, exiger [patience, skill, courage]
it takes patience/courage to do il faut de la patience/du courage pour faire
it takes three hours/years etc to do il faut trois heures/ans etc pour faire
it won't take long ça ne prendra pas longtemps
it took her 10 minutes to repair it elle a mis 10 minutes pour le réparer
the wall won't take long to build le mur sera vite construit
it won't take long to do the washing-up la vaisselle sera vite faite
it would take a genius/a strong person to do that il faudrait un génie/quelqu'un de robuste pour faire ça
to have what it takes avoir tout ce qu'il faut (to do pour faire)
typing all those letters in two hours will take some doing! ce ne sera pas facile de taper toutes ces lettres en deux heures!
she'll take some persuading ce sera dur de la convaincre
11 Linguistics [verb] prendre [object]; [preposition] être suivi de [case]
12 (endure) supporter [pain, criticism]; accepter [punishment, opinions]
I find their attitude hard to take je trouve leur attitude difficile à accepter
he can't take being criticized il ne supporte pas qu'on le critique
she just sat there and took it! elle est restée là et ne s'est pas défendue
he can't take a joke il ne sait pas prendre une plaisanterie
go on, tell me, I can take it! vas-y, dis-le, je n'en mourrai pas!
I can't take any more! je suis vraiment à bout!
13 (react to) prendre [news, matter, criticism, comments]
to take sth well/badly bien/mal prendre qch
to take sth seriously/lightly prendre qch au sérieux/à la légère
to take things one or prendre les choses une par une
14 (assume)
I take it that … je suppose que …
to take sb for or prendre qn pour qch
what do you take me for? pour qui est-ce que tu me prends?
what do you take this poem to mean? comment est-ce que vous interprétez ce poème?
15 (consider as example) prendre [person, example, case]
take John (for example), he has brought up a family by himself prends John, il a élevé une famille tout seul
let us or take the situation in France prenons la situation en France
take Stella, she never complains! regarde Stella, elle ne se plaint jamais!
16 (adopt) adopter [view, attitude, measures, steps]
to take a soft/tough line on sb/sth adopter une attitude indulgente/sévère à l'égard de qn/qch
to take the view or être d'avis que, considérer que …
17 (record) prendre [notes, statement]; [doctor, nurse] prendre [pulse, temperature, blood pressure]; [secretary] prendre [letter]
to take sb's measurements (for clothes) prendre les mesures de qn
to take a reading lire les indications
18 (hold) [hall, bus] avoir une capacité de, pouvoir contenir [50 people, passengers etc]; [tank, container] pouvoir contenir [quantity]
the tank/bus will take… le réservoir/bus peut contenir…
the cupboard/the suitcase won't take any more clothes il est impossible de mettre plus de vêtements dans ce placard/cette valise
19 (consume) prendre [sugar, milk, pills, remedy]
to take tea/lunch with sb British prendre le thé/déjeuner avec qn
▶ drug 20 (wear) (in clothes) faire [size]
to take a size 4 (in shoes) ≈ faire du 37; ≈ chausser du 37
21 Photography prendre [photograph]
22 Mathematics (subtract) soustraire [number, quantity] (from de)
23 (study) prendre, faire [subject]; suivre [course]
24 School, University (sit) passer [exam, test]
25 (teach) [teacher, lecturer] faire cours à [students, pupils]
to take sb for Geography/French faire cours de géographie/de français à qn
26 (officiate at) [priest] célébrer [service, prayer, wedding]; dire [mass]
27 (capture) [army, enemy] prendre [fortress, city]; (in chess) [player] prendre [piece]; (in cards) faire [trick]; [person] remporter [prize] ▶ hostage, prisoner
28 (have sex with) prendre [woman]
C
intransitive verb
prét took
past participle taken
1 (have desired effect) [drug] faire effet; [dye] prendre
2 (grow successfully) [plant] prendre
3 Fishing [fish] mordre
Idioms
I'll take it from here
je prendrai la suite
to be on the take
toucher des pots-de-vin
to take it or
fatiguer beaucoup qn
to take it upon oneself to do
prendre sur soi de faire
to take sb out of themselves
changer les idées à qn
you can take it from me, …
croyez-moi, …
Phrasal verbs
■ take aback:
take [sb] aback
interloquer [person]■ take after:
take after [sb]
tenir de [father, mother etc]■ take against:
take against [sb]
prendre [qn] en grippe■ take along:
take [sb/sth] along,
take along [sb/sth]
emporter [object]; emmener [person]■ take apart:
take apart
se démonter does it take apart? est-ce que ça se démonte?
; take [sb/sth] apart
1 (separate into parts) démonter [car, machine]
2 , (defeat) [player, team] massacrer [opponent, team]
3 (criticize) [person, critic, teacher] descendre [qch] en flammes [essay, film, book]
■ take aside:
take [sb] aside
prendre [qn] à part■ take away:
take [sb/sth] away,
take away [sb/sth]
1 (remove) enlever, emporter [object] (from de); emmener [person] (from de); supprimer [pain, fear, grief] (from de)
‘two hamburgers to take away, please’ British ‘deux hamburgers à emporter, s'il vous plaît’
to take away sb's appetite faire perdre l'appétit à qn
2 (diminish)
that doesn't take anything away from his achievement ça n'enlève rien à ce qu'il a accompli
3 (subtract) soustraire [number] (from à, de)
ten take away seven is three dix moins sept égalent trois
■ take back:
take [sth] back,
take back [sth]
1 (return to shop) [person, customer] rapporter [goods] (to à)
2 (retract) retirer [statement, words]
; I take it back je retire ce que j'ai dit
take [sb] back
(cause to remember) rappeler des souvenirs à [person] this song takes me back to my childhood cette chanson me rappelle mon enfance
; take [sb/sth] back,
take back [sb/sth]
(accept again) reprendre [partner, employee]; reprendre [gift, ring]; [shop] reprendre [goods]■ take down:
take [sth] down,
take down [sth]
1 (remove) descendre [book, vase, box]; enlever [picture, curtains]
2 (lower) baisser [skirt, pants]
3 (dismantle) démonter [tent, scaffolding]
4 (write down) noter [name, statement, details]
■ take hold:
take hold
[disease, epidemic] s'installer; [idea, ideology] se répandre; [influence] s'accroître to take hold of (grasp) prendre [object, hand] (overwhelm) [feeling, anger] envahir [person]; [idea] prendre [person]
■ take in:
take [sb] in,
take in [sb]
1 (deceive) tromper, abuser [person]
he was taken in il s'est laissé abuser
don't be taken in by appearances! ne te fie pas aux apparences!
I wasn't taken in by him je ne me suis pas laissé prendre à son jeu
2 (allow to stay) recueillir [person, refugee]; prendre [lodger]
; take in [sth]
1 (understand) saisir, comprendre [situation]
I can't take it in! je n'arrive pas à le croire!
2 (observe) noter [detail]; embrasser [scene]
3 (encompass) inclure [place, developments]
4 (absorb) [root] absorber [nutrients]; [person, animal] absorber [oxygen]; s'imprégner de [atmosphere]
5 Nautical [boat] prendre [water]
6 Clothing (alter) reprendre [dress, skirt etc]
7 (accept for payment) faire [qch] à domicile [washing, mending]
8 (visit) aller à [play, exhibition]
■ take off:
take off
1 (leave the ground) [plane] décoller
2 [idea, fashion] prendre; [product] marcher; [sales] décoller
3 (leave hurriedly) filer
; take [sth] off
1 (deduct)
to take £10 off (the price) réduire le prix de 10 livres, faire une remise de 10 livres
2 (have as holiday)
to take two days off prendre deux jours de congé
I'm taking next week off je suis en congé la semaine prochaine
3 (make look younger)
; that hairstyle takes 15 years off you! cette coiffure te rajeunit de 15 ans!
take [sth] off,
take off [sth]
1 (remove) enlever, ôter [clothing, shoes]; enlever [lid, feet, hands] (from de); supprimer [dish, train]
to take sth off the market retirer qch du marché
2 (amputate) amputer, couper [limb]
3 (withdraw) annuler [show, play]
; take [sb] off,
take off [sb]
1 (imitate) imiter [person]
2 (remove)
to take sb off the case [police] retirer l'affaire à qn
to take oneself off partir, s'en aller (to à)
■ take on:
take on
(get upset) don't take on so (stay calm) ne t'énerve pas; (don't worry) ne t'en fais pas
; take [sb/sth] on,
take on [sb/sth]
1 (employ) embaucher, prendre [staff, worker]
2 (compete against) [team, player] jouer contre [team, player]; (fight) se battre contre [person, opponent]
to take sb on at chess/at tennis jouer aux échecs/au tennis contre qn
3 (accept) accepter, prendre [work, task]; prendre [responsibilities]
4 (acquire) prendre [look, significance, colour, meaning]
■ take out:
take out
s'enlever does this take out? est-ce que ça s'enlève?
; take [sb/sth] out,
take out [sb/sth]
1 (remove) sortir [object] (from, of de); [dentist] extraire, arracher [tooth]; [doctor] enlever [appendix]; (from bank) retirer [money] (of de)
take your hands out of your pockets! enlève tes mains de tes poches!
2 (go out with) sortir avec [person]
to take sb out to dinner/for a walk emmener qn dîner/se promener
3 (eat elsewhere) emporter [fast food]
‘two hamburgers to take out, please!’ ‘deux hamburgers à emporter, s'il vous plaît!
4 (deduct) déduire [contributions, tax] (of de)
5 (kill, destroy) éliminer [person]; détruire [installation, target]
6
to take sth out on sb passer qch sur qn [anger, frustration]
to take it out on sb s'en prendre à qn
■ take over:
take over
1 (take control) (of town, country, party) [army, faction] prendre le pouvoir
he's always trying to take over il veut toujours tout commander
2 (be successor) [person] prendre la suite (as comme)
; to take over from remplacer, succéder à [predecessor]
take over [sth]
1 (take control of) prendre le contrôle de [town, country]; reprendre [business]
shall I take over the driving for a while? veux-tu que je prenne un peu le volant?
2 Finance racheter, prendre le contrôle de [company]
■ take part
prendre part
to take part in participer à [production, activity]
■ take to:
take to [sb/sth]
1 (develop liking for)
he has really taken to her/to his new job elle/son nouvel emploi lui plaît vraiment beaucoup
2 (begin)
to take to doing se mettre à faire
he's taken to smoking/wearing a hat il s'est mis à fumer/porter un chapeau
3 (go) se réfugier dans [forest, hills]
to take to one's bed se mettre au lit
to take to the streets descendre dans la rue
■ take up:
take up
(continue story etc) reprendre to take up where sb/sth left off reprendre là où qn/qch s'était arrêté
to take up with s'attacher à [person, group]
; take up [sth]
1 (lift up) enlever [carpet, pavement, track]; prendre [pen]
2 (start) se mettre à [golf, guitar]; prendre [job]
to take up a career as an actor se lancer dans le métier d'acteur
to take up one's duties or entrer dans ses fonctions
3 (continue) reprendre [story, discussion]; reprendre [cry, refrain]
4 (accept) accepter [offer, invitation]; relever [challenge]
to take up sb's case Law accepter de défendre qn
5
to take sth up with sb soulever [qch] avec qn [matter]
6 (occupy) prendre, occuper [space]; prendre, demander [time, energy]
7 (adopt) prendre [position, stance]
8 Clothing (shorten) raccourcir [skirt, curtains etc]
9 (absorb) [sponge, material, paper] absorber [liquid]
; take [sb] up
1 (adopt)
she was taken up by the surrealists elle a été adoptée par les surréalistes
2
to take sb up on (challenge) reprendre qn sur [point, assertion]
(accept) to take sb up on an invitation/an offer accepter l'invitation/l'offre de qn