Sentence Construction – Difference Between ‘I Took A Long Time’ and ‘I Was A Long Time’

prepositionssentence-construction

I have read a children's book for language learners. It's a book from the Oxford Reading Tree series. There is a character who goes to the dentist, and when she comes back home she says:

"Sorry I was a long time."

I want to ask what's the difference between:

I took a long time

and

I was a long time.

Is there any difference in meaning? Is this phrase

"I was a long time"

more native?

Best Answer

The outcome of the two statements means the same thing (a long time passed) but there is a different inference.

I was a long time.

There could be so many different reasons why you were a long time. Maybe you got delayed by something or someone, or maybe you created the delay yourself.

I took a long time.

"Take" is a verb and the action is your own. If you took a long time it implies that you deliberately took your time, perhaps lingering, taking a detour, or just acting slowly.