Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Take off: when a plane leaves the ground
You are already in your seat, but the plane is still on the ground. Boarding is finished. Takeoff is the next event you want to describe.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
take off
Leave the ground and begin flying, when talking about an aircraft.
Example
“Our plane took off after the rain stopped.”
Our plane left the ground and began its flight after the rain stopped.
The short answer
When a plane takes off, it leaves the ground and starts flying. Say “Our plane took off late” for a past flight. In this meaning, the plane takes off; you do not put the plane after take off as its object.
Look for the moment the aircraft starts flying.
Boarding means getting onto the aircraft. Taking off means leaving the ground to fly. Landing is coming back down to the ground. Use take off as two words for the verb. Its past form is took off, not taked off.
Getting on is different from going into the air.
The passengers boarded the plane.
The plane took off.
The passengers can be seated for some time before the plane takes off. Boarding and takeoff are separate events.
Describe a completed departure
Name the aircraft
Our plane
Use the past form
Our plane took off.
Add the timing
Our plane took off late.
Try it now
Which part of the flight is it?
Read all answers and explanations
The aircraft has just left the runway and is climbing. Which sentence describes that event?
The plane took off.Took off describes the aircraft beginning to fly. Boarded describes people getting on; landed describes the return to the ground.
Choose the standard past-tense sentence about yesterday’s departure.
Our plane took off late yesterday.Take has the irregular past form took. Off stays unchanged. Taked is not the standard past form, and take does not mark this finished past event.
Complete the timetable statement: “Our flight ___ at noon.”
takes offThe verb uses two words: takes off. Add -s to take for our flight, not to off. Takeoff is a noun spelling, not the verb needed here.
Build it yourself
Report the late departure.
Tell a friend that your aircraft began flying later than planned. Begin with Our plane.
Arrange all four pieces. Select a piece again to move it back.
Your sentence
0 of 4 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
Our plane took off late.
Our plane took off late describes a completed flight departure. The aircraft is the subject, and took off tells us what it did.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Is “Did the plane take off?” correct?
Yes. Did carries the past tense, so use the base form take after it. In a statement without did, use took.
Did the plane take off? Yes, it took off a few minutes ago.
Is takeoff one word or two?
The verb is two words: take off. The noun can be written takeoff, especially in American English, or take-off. Keep the verb in this lesson as two words.
The plane is ready to take off.
Take it into your day
A plane takes off when it begins flying. For a completed flight departure, use took off.
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Take off helps you describe one specific travel event. The Phrasal Verbs course builds a wider travel and everyday vocabulary through meanings, situations, conversations and guided practice, so you can choose expressions that match what actually happened.
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