How long did it last
How long did it last
How long did it last
Gisela from the Czech Republic writes:
I’m not sure about the difference in use between take and last. Which is better in these examples:
How long does the film last?
How long does the film take?
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| Roger Woodham replies: | |
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 | Take or last? Both take and last are used to talk about the amount of time needed for something. We tend to use take when we are more in control of the experience and last when we have little or no control over it. Take suggests more active involvement and last implies a more passive experience. Thus we are more likely to say: It’s a long one. It lasts (for) over three hours Compare also the following examples of greater and lesser control of the action using take and last: Note that when we use preparatory it as subject and when it is followed by a personal pronoun, me, you, her, him, or them, we have to use take, not last: Like get, take is a very common multi-purpose verb and is used in many different ways. Here are a few of the commonest: take (opposite of give) take (opposite of bring) meaning ‘carry‘ They are opposites in the sense that when we use bring we are describing movements to where the speaker or listener is located, and when we use take we are describing movements away from the speaker/listener. Compare the following: Why don’t you take a bath? It’ll be more relaxing. In all of these expressions with take + noun to describe common actions, we can use either have or take. Have is more characteristic of British English whereas Americans would be more inclined to use take. How Long Will It Last?RhoKappaSenior MemberStrangely enough, I cannot find this expression in any of my Russian textbooks as well as dictionaries. This is a question of duration to depletion, particularly in some products that are to be used, but possible in other contexts. Some examples. 1. Lena gives Sergei an unusually large bar of soap. He asks, «How long will that last?» Lena answers, «About three months.» Как сказать по-русски? Vadim KSenior MemberThere are no any Russian collocations which have been suitable for all examples you pointed above. If you needed to get them as less as possible I would suggest using two expressions. The first one is for soap, which would be «На сколько хватит«. And the second one is for all other cases, which would be «Как долго продлится«. 1. Lena gives Sergei an unusually large bar of soap. He asks, «How long will that last?» Lena answers, «About three months.» 2. Yuri takes one Viagra pill and gets an erection. Tanya asks, «How long will that last?» 3. Sergei and Lena are packing their suitcases for an extended trip to America. They decide to bring their favorite liquid soap, but they are not sure how many bottles to bring. Lena: «How long will one bottle of soap last us?» 4. For now the government is lying to the people, saying that the accident in Chernobyl is a minor incident. Officials are wondering how long this lie will last until people start panicking. 5. Natasha and Olga are playing tennis when a storm suddenly arrives and rains heavily on them. They take cover and ask each other, «How long will this rain last?» Диалоги на английском языке с переводом (уровень Elementary). № 70. Тема: Школа пения для всех. Продолжение.b) Продолжение диалога. |
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