"it would take me 1–2 seconds"

Question

or "it would took me 1–2 seconds"?

Nice to see the en dash used correctly.
– ShreevatsaR
Jan 17, 2011 at 4:11 — ShreevatsaR, Jan 17, 2011 at 4:11

Lightness Races in Orbit · Accepted Answer · 2011-01-16 20:17:05Z

9

"It would take me 1-2 seconds" is correct. It takes the infinitive.

answered Jan 16, 2011 at 20:17

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RedGrittyBrick · Accepted Answer · 2011-01-17 11:46:59Z

5

Once in the past, it took me one or two seconds.
Previously, it has taken me one or two seconds (at most …).
So far, it has taken me one or two seconds (and may take longer to complete).
Currently, it takes me one or two seconds (every time, to complete).
In the future, it will take me one or two seconds.
If I had done it yesterday, it would have taken me one or two seconds.
If I did it tommorrow, it would take me one or two seconds.

answered Jan 17, 2011 at 11:37

RedGrittyBrick

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1

So, "took" never follows any auxiliary in standard English.
– Colin Fine
Jan 17, 2011 at 13:04
1

not too sure about 'standard' English - but I remember growing up in the north of England with people saying things like "it could have took me forever"
– HorusKol
Jan 17, 2011 at 22:18
Yeah worth noting that HorusKol is right and that's common in many northern English dialects - but it's not "real" academically
– Lightness Races in Orbit
Jul 25, 2019 at 12:33

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HorusKol · Accepted Answer · 2011-01-17 02:10:09Z

2

If you are wanting to indicate how long it would have taken you to complete a task that has already been completed:

It took Stephen 10 seconds to get the right answer, but it would have taken me 1 or 2 seconds.

answered Jan 17, 2011 at 2:10

HorusKol

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3 Answers 3