learn

(lûrn)

v. learned also learnt (lûrnt), learn·ing, learns

v.tr.

a. To gain knowledge of or skill in through study, instruction, or experience: learned how to sail; learned the new computer program; learn to speak Hindi.

b. To become aware or informed of; find out: learned the truth about him; learned that it was best not to argue. See Synonyms at discover.

2. To fix in the mind or memory; memorize: learned the speech in a few hours.

3. Nonstandard To cause to acquire knowledge; teach.

4. Obsolete To give information to.

v.intr.

To gain knowledge, information, comprehension, or skill: learns quickly; learned about computers; learned of the job through friends.

[Middle English lernen, from Old English leornian; see leis- in Indo-European roots.]

learn′a·ble adj.

learn′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

learn

(lɜːn)

vb, learns, learning, learned (lɜːnd) or learnt

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to gain knowledge of (something) or acquire skill in (some art or practice)

2. (tr) to commit to memory

3. (tr) to gain by experience, example, etc

4. (intr; often foll by of or about) to become informed; know

5. not standard to teach

[Old English leornian; related to Old High German lirnen]

ˈlearnable adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

learn

(lɜrn)

v. learned (lɜrnd) or learnt, learn•ing. v.t.

1. to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience: to learn a new language.

2. to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain: to learn the truth.

3. to memorize: He learned the poem in ten minutes.

4. to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire: She learned patience from her father.

5. (of a device or machine, esp. a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning using artificial intelligence.

6. Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.

v.i.

7. to acquire knowledge or skill: to learn rapidly.

8. to become informed (often fol. by of or about): to learn of an accident.

[before 900; Middle English lernen, Old English leornian to learn, read, ponder, c. Old Saxon līnōn, Old High German lernēn; akin to Gothic laisjan to teach, and to lore¹]

learn′a•ble, adj.

learn′er, n.

syn: learn, discover, ascertain, detect imply adding to one's store of knowledge or information. To learn is to come to know by chance, or by study or other application: to learn of a friend's death; to learn to ski. To discover is to find out something previously unseen or unknown; it suggests that the new information is surprising to the learner: I discovered that they were selling their house. To ascertain is to find out and verify information through inquiry or analysis: to ascertain the truth about the incident. To detect is to become aware of something obscure, secret, or concealed: to detect a flaw in reasoning.

learn

1. knowledge and skills

When you learn something, you obtain knowledge or a skill as a result of studying or training.

The past tense and -ed participle of learn can be either learned or learnt. However, learnt is rarely used in American English.

We first learned to ski at les Rousses.

He had never learnt to read and write.

2. 'teach'

Don't say that you 'learn someone something' or 'learn someone how to do something.' The word you use is teach.

My sister taught me how to read.

See teach

3. learning from experience

You can use learn to say that someone becomes wiser or becomes better at doing something as the result of an experience.

Industry and commerce have learned a lot in the last few years.

You say that someone learns something from an experience.

They had learned a lot from their earlier mistakes.

Be Careful!
Don't use any preposition except from in a sentence like this.

4. information

Learn can also be used to say that someone receives some information. After learn, you use of and a noun phrase, or you use a that-clause.

He had learned of his father's death in Australia.

She learned that her grandmother had been a nurse.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

learn

Past participle: learned/learnt
Gerund: learning

Imperative
learn
learn

Present
I learn
you learn
he/she/it learns
we learn
you learn
they learn

Preterite
I learned/learnt
you learned/learnt
he/she/it learned/learnt
we learned/learnt
you learned/learnt
they learned/learnt

Present Continuous
I am learning
you are learning
he/she/it is learning
we are learning
you are learning
they are learning

Present Perfect
I have learned/learnt
you have learned/learnt
he/she/it has learned/learnt
we have learned/learnt
you have learned/learnt
they have learned/learnt

Past Continuous
I was learning
you were learning
he/she/it was learning
we were learning
you were learning
they were learning

Past Perfect
I had learned/learnt
you had learned/learnt
he/she/it had learned/learnt
we had learned/learnt
you had learned/learnt
they had learned/learnt

Future
I will learn
you will learn
he/she/it will learn
we will learn
you will learn
they will learn

Future Perfect
I will have learned/learnt
you will have learned/learnt
he/she/it will have learned/learnt
we will have learned/learnt
you will have learned/learnt
they will have learned/learnt

Future Continuous
I will be learning
you will be learning
he/she/it will be learning
we will be learning
you will be learning
they will be learning

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been learning
you have been learning
he/she/it has been learning
we have been learning
you have been learning
they have been learning

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been learning
you will have been learning
he/she/it will have been learning
we will have been learning
you will have been learning
they will have been learning

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been learning
you had been learning
he/she/it had been learning
we had been learning
you had been learning
they had been learning

Conditional
I would learn
you would learn
he/she/it would learn
we would learn
you would learn
they would learn

Past Conditional
I would have learned/learnt
you would have learned/learnt
he/she/it would have learned/learnt
we would have learned/learnt
you would have learned/learnt
they would have learned/learnt

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb	1.	learn - gain knowledge or skills; "She learned dancing from her sister"; "I learned Sanskrit"; "Children acquire language at an amazing rate" larn, acquire relearn - learn something again, as after having forgotten or neglected it; "After the accident, he could not walk for months and had to relearn how to walk down stairs" catch up - learn belatedly; find out about something after it happened; "I'm trying to catch up with the latest developments in molecular biology" assimilate, ingest, absorb, take in - take up mentally; "he absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe" hit the books, study - learn by reading books; "He is studying geology in his room"; "I have an exam next week; I must hit the books now"
	2.	learn - get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted" get a line, get wind, get word, hear, discover, find out, pick up, see get the goods - discover some bad or hidden information about; "She got the goods on her co-worker after reading his e-mail" wise up - get wise to; "They wised up to it" trip up, catch - detect a blunder or misstep; "The reporter tripped up the senator" ascertain - learn or discover with certainty discover, find - make a discovery; "She found that he had lied to her"; "The story is false, so far as I can discover" witness, see, find - perceive or be contemporaneous with; "We found Republicans winning the offices"; "You'll see a lot of cheating in this school"; "The 1960's saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions"; "I want to see results"
	3.	learn - commit to memory; learn by heart; "Have you memorized your lines for the play yet?" memorise, memorize, con understudy, alternate - be an understudy or alternate for a role hit the books, study - learn by reading books; "He is studying geology in his room"; "I have an exam next week; I must hit the books now"
	4.	learn - be a student of a certain subject; "She is reading for the bar exam" study, read, take audit - attend academic courses without getting credit train, prepare - undergo training or instruction in preparation for a particular role, function, or profession; "She is training to be a teacher"; "He trained as a legal aid" practice, practise, drill, exercise - learn by repetition; "We drilled French verbs every day"; "Pianists practice scales"
	5.	learn - impart skills or knowledge to; "I taught them French"; "He instructed me in building a boat" instruct, teach train, educate, prepare, develop - create by training and teaching; "The old master is training world-class violinists"; "we develop the leaders for the future" indoctrinate - teach doctrines to; teach uncritically; "The Moonies indoctrinate their disciples" drill - teach by repetition catechise, catechize - give religious instructions to reinforce, reward - strengthen and support with rewards; "Let's reinforce good behavior" spoonfeed - teach without challenging the students; "This professor spoonfeeds his students" induct - introduce or initiate; "The young geisha was inducted into the ways of her profession" mentor - serve as a teacher or trusted counselor; "The famous professor mentored him during his years in graduate school"; "She is a fine lecturer but she doesn't like mentoring" tutor - be a tutor to someone; give individual instruction; "She tutored me in Spanish" unteach - cause to disbelieve; teach someone the contrary of what he or she had learned earlier unteach - cause to unlearn; "teach somebody to unlearn old habits or methods" ground - instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject lecture, talk - deliver a lecture or talk; "She will talk at Rutgers next week"; "Did you ever lecture at Harvard?" inform - impart knowledge of some fact, state or affairs, or event to; "I informed him of his rights" coach, train - teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports; "He is training our Olympic team"; "She is coaching the crew" edify, enlighten - make understand; "Can you enlighten me--I don't understand this proposal" condition - establish a conditioned response
	6.	learn - find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see whether she speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time" ascertain, find out, watch, determine, see, check insure, see to it, ensure, ascertain, check, assure, control, see - be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something; "He verified that the valves were closed"; "See that the curtains are closed"; "control the quality of the product" ascertain, determine, find out, find - establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study; "find the product of two numbers"; "The physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel Prize" test - determine the presence or properties of (a substance)

learn

verb

1. master, grasp, acquire, pick up, be taught, take in, attain, become able, familiarize yourself with Their children were going to learn English.

2. discover, hear, understand, gain knowledge, find out about, become aware, discern, ascertain, come to know, suss (out) (slang) It was only after his death that she learned of his affair.

3. memorize, commit to memory, learn by heart, learn by rote, get (something) word-perfect, learn parrot-fashion, get off pat, con (archaic) He learned this song as an inmate in a Texas prison.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

learn

verb

1. To gain knowledge or mastery of by study:

get, master.

Informal: pick up.

2. To commit to memory:

con, memorize.

3. To obtain knowledge or awareness of something not known before, as through observation or study:

ascertain, determine, discover, find (out), hear.

Translations

leer

يَتَعَلَّميَتَعَلَّمُيَعْلَم، يَعْرِف

učit sezjistitdovědět seučit

lærestudereerfarefinde ud af

lernen erfahren

μαθαίνω

lerni

aprender saber enterarse estudiar aprehender

arenemaomandamaõppima

oppiasaadatietääopetellaopiskella

apprendre

ללמוד

सीखना

učiti

megtanultanul

belajar

komast aîlæra

imparare apprendere studiare avere notizia

学ぶ

배우다

erudicijamokslasmokslingasmokytaspatogus mokytis

mācītiesuzzināt

lerenop de hoogte gesteld wordenstuderente weten komenervaren

lære

nauczyć się

aprender

aflaînvăţa

учиться выучивать научаться научиться узнавать

učiť sa

izvedetiučiti se

lära (sig)lära sig

เรียน

öğrenmek

سیکھنا

học

学习获悉

learn

[lɜːn] (learned or learnt (pt, pp))

A. VT

1. (by study, practice, etc) [+ language, words, skill] → aprender; [+ instrument] → aprender a tocar
you can learn a lot by listening and thinking → se puede aprender mucho escuchando y pensando
I learnt a lot from her → aprendí mucho de ella
you must learn patience → tienes que aprender a tener paciencia
to learn (how) to do sth → aprender a hacer algo
to learn sth by heart → aprender(se) algo de memoria
to learn one's lesson → aprender la lección, escarmentar
see also line ¹ A4
see also rope A

2. (= find out) → enterarse de
to learn that → enterarse de que

3. (= show, teach) (incorrect usage) → enseñar
that'll learn you → para que escarmientes or aprendas, te está bien empleado
I'll learn you! → ¡yo te enseñaré!

B. VI

1. (by study, practice, etc) → aprender
it's never too late to learn → nunca es tarde para aprender
he'll learn! → ¡un día aprenderá!, ¡ya aprenderá!
we are learning about the Romans → estamos estudiando los romanos
to learn from experience → aprender por experiencia
to learn from one's mistakes → aprender de los errores (cometidos)

2. (= find out) to learn of or about sth → enterarse de algo

learn off VT + ADV → aprender de memoria

learn up VT + ADV → esforzarse por aprender, empollar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

learn

[ˈlɜː^rn] [learned or learnt] (pt, pp)

(= study) [+ skill, subject] → apprendre; [+ poem, song] → apprendre
She's learning Japanese → Elle apprend le japonais.
to learn sth by heart → apprendre qch par cœur
We have to learn the whole poem by heart → Nous devons apprendre tout le poème par cœur.
to learn to do sth → apprendre à faire qch
I'm learning to ski → J'apprends à skier.
He learned to conceal his views → Il apprit à dissimuler ses opinions.
to learn how to do sth → apprendre à faire qch

(= find out) [+ news, fact] → apprendre
to learn (that) → apprendre que
She wasn't surprised to learn that he was involved → Elle n'a pas été surprise d'apprendre qu'il était impliqué.
we were sorry to learn that ... → nous avons été désolés d'apprendre que ...

(through study) → apprendre
to learn about sth (gen) → s'informer sur qch; (at school) → étudier qch
In history we're learning about the Russian revolution → En histoire, nous étudions la révolution russe.
What did you learn about at school today?
BUT Qu'est-ce que tu as appris de beau à l'école aujourd'hui?.

(through experience) you'll learn! → tu apprendras!
to learn from one's mistakes → tirer les leçons de ses erreurs
He has learned from his mistakes → Il a tiré les leçons de ses erreurs.

(= find out) → apprendre
to learn about sth, to learn of sth → apprendre qch
It was only after his death that she learned of his affair with Betty → Ce fut seulement après sa mort qu'elle apprit sa liaison avec Betty.

learn

pret, ptp <learnt (Brit) or learned>

(= gain knowledge, skill etc) → lernen; (= memorize) poem etc → auswendig lernen; where did you learn that habit? → wo hast du dir das angewöhnt?; I learned (how) to swim → ich habe schwimmen gelernt

(= be informed) → erfahren

(= gain knowledge etc) → lernen; I can’t play the piano, but I’m hoping to learn → ich kann nicht Klavier spielen, aber ich hoffe, es zu lernen; he’ll never learn! → er lernt es nie!; some people never learn! → manche lernens nie!; to learn from experience → aus der Erfahrung or durch Erfahrung lernen

(= find out) → hören, erfahren (about, of von)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

learn

[lɜːn] (learned or learnt (pt, pp))

1. vt (study) → imparare; (hear) → (venire a) sapere
to learn (how) to do sth → imparare a fare qc
to learn that ... → apprendere che..., venire a sapere che...
we were sorry to learn that it was closing down → la notizia della chiusura ci ha fatto dispiacere
I think he's learnt his lesson (fig) → penso che gli sia servito di lezione

2. vi to learn about sth (study) → studiare qc, imparare qc; (hear) → sentire qc, apprendere qc
I've learnt from experience not to trust him → l'esperienza mi ha insegnato a non fidarmi di lui
you learn from your mistakes → sbagliando s'impara
you'll learn! → un giorno capirai!

learn off vt + adv → imparare a memoria

learn

(ləːn) – past tense, past participles learned, ~learnt – verb

1. to get to know. It was then that I learned that she was dead.

2. to gain knowledge or skill (in). A child is always learning; to learn French; She is learning (how) to swim.

ˈlearned (-nid) adjective

having or showing great learning. a learned professor.

ˈlearner noun

a person who is in process of learning. Be patient – I'm only a learner; (also adjective) a learner driver.

ˈlearning noun

knowledge which has been gained by learning. The professor was a man of great learning.

learner-friendly adjective

that is easy or simple for use in learning. This textbook is learner-friendly.

learn

→ يَتَعَلَّمُ učit se lære lernen μαθαίνω aprender oppia apprendre učiti apprendere 学ぶ 배우다 leren lære nauczyć się aprender изучать lära (sig) เรียน öğrenmek học 学习

learn

v. aprender; [to have knowledge of] saber; [to learn about something new] tener noticias de, enterarse de.

learn

vt, vi aprender (a); to learn to read..aprender a leer