tomar
Tomar is 'to take' in its broadest sense — drink, eat, catch transport, make decisions. Common in Latin America; coger fills many of the same roles in Spain.
tomar (take/drink)
Drinking, eating, and general taking — especially strong in Latin American Spanish.
Tomo café por las mañanas.
I have/drink coffee in the mornings.
Tomar = to drink (especially in Latin America). In Spain 'tomar' also works but 'beber' is more common for drinking.
¿Qué vas a tomar?
What are you going to have?
The universal waiter's question across Latin America. Equivalent of 'what can I get you?'
Toma, esto es para ti.
Here, this is for you.
Tomar as an imperative — 'take this.' The single syllable 'toma' is very common in handoffs.
tomar (transport + decisions)
Catching transport, taking routes, and taking decisions — all tomar territory.
Tomo el metro para ir al trabajo.
I take the metro to work.
Transport: tomar el autobús, tomar el tren, tomar un taxi — all standard in Latin America and used in Spain too.
Hay que tomar una decisión.
A decision needs to be made.
Tomar una decisión = to make a decision. Never 'hacer una decisión.'
¿Lo tomas en serio?
Are you taking it seriously?
Tomar algo en serio/a broma — to take something seriously/as a joke. Fixed phrases.
Tricky bit
In Spain, 'coger el autobús' is standard; in Latin America, 'coger' has an obscene meaning so 'tomar' does that job instead. Knowing your audience matters. Also: 'tomarle el pelo a alguien' = to pull someone's leg — tomar doing idiom duty.