Take your time means “don't hurry, do it at your own pace”. You say it to someone you don't want to rush: a waiter to a guest, an examiner to a student, one colleague to another. About other people, it can sound critical: The builders are taking their time means they are clearly in no hurry.
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take your time; take your time with/over + noun; take your time + -ing; take my/her/their time
- There's no rush with the report, so take your time and check the figures.
- The waiter told us to take our time choosing from the menu.
- He always takes his time in the morning, so he's often late for work.
What changed
First versionDon't worry about the test, just take time and read each question carefully.
RevisionDon't worry about the test, just take your time and read each question carefully.
Without your, the phrase loses the meaning “don't hurry”. Take time means “need time” or “spend time on something”: It takes time. Your is easy to drop because the idea of not hurrying doesn't seem to need a word like your. The corrected version puts your back and changes nothing else.
Take your time is about pace: not hurrying. Take time is about how long something needs: It takes time to get used to a new city. Your changes with the person you are talking about: I took my time, she's taking her time, not she's taking your time.
Your turn
The train leaves in an hour, so ___ and finish your coffee.
Show the answer
take your time — There is a whole hour before the train, so there is no need to rush: take your time and finish your coffee. Take time without your means “need time” and doesn't tell someone not to hurry.
Write what you would say to a colleague or guest you don't want to rush. Say what exactly they don't need to hurry with and why.
Take your time with the contract, because we don't need to send it back until next Friday.
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