Take/have a shower

Josh Lalonde   Wed May 30, 2007 1:23 pm GMT
Which one do you say? Both work for me, but 'take' is more likely. Is this common in English, or could it be French influence?
Guest   Wed May 30, 2007 1:35 pm GMT
I thought 'Take a shower/bath' was American English, and 'Have a shower/bath' was British English, although the former is creeping into BrE.
xprain   Wed May 30, 2007 1:53 pm GMT
I think American English influences any English in the world..like Kiwi English or Ausie English even Queen's English. For instance in U.K children grow up with American tv shows and films..even non-English speaking countries' children grow with those American media.

anyway back to the original question, as an ESL student those things are quite annoying to me. Have a shower, Take a shower. Bathroom, Toilet, Water Closet. Whoa...
Lazar   Wed May 30, 2007 3:40 pm GMT
I think I would exclusively say "take a shower/bath".
SpaceFlight   Wed May 30, 2007 5:06 pm GMT
"have a shower/bath" indeed sounds odd to me as an American. "have a shower" of course to me would imply that I own a shower in my residence.
Brian   Wed May 30, 2007 7:28 pm GMT
I always say "take a shower/bath".
Saru Sponge   Thu May 31, 2007 1:39 pm GMT
Either is fine. 'Take' is more commonly used, however 'have' is still perfectly correct.
Kess   Thu May 31, 2007 4:09 pm GMT
take a shower/look

have sounds weird :)
Shatnerian   Fri Jun 01, 2007 1:39 am GMT
I use both variations. When shower is used, I will say, "I am going to have a shower." However, when it is bath, I will say, "I am going to take a bath." I don't know why I make the distinction, but it has been apart of my vocabulary for as long as I can remember.