learn
verb OPAL S
/lɜːn/
/lɜːrn/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they learn | /lɜːn/ /lɜːrn/ |
| he / she / it learns | /lɜːnz/ /lɜːrnz/ |
| past simple learned | /lɜːnd/ /lɜːrnd/ |
| past participle learned | /lɜːnd/ /lɜːrnd/ |
| (especially British English) past simple learnt | /lɜːnt/ /lɜːrnt/ |
| (especially British English) past participle learnt | /lɜːnt/ /lɜːrnt/ |
| -ing form learning | /ˈlɜːnɪŋ/ /ˈlɜːrnɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to gain knowledge or skill by studying, from experience, from being taught, etc.
- learn something to learn a language/skill/trade
- He had the opportunity to learn English in Australia.
- learn (something) from somebody/something I learned a lot from my father.
- Everyone in the class had the opportunity to learn from each other.
- learn (something) from doing something You can learn a great deal just from watching other players.
- learn (about something) She's very keen to learn about Japanese culture.
- The book is about how children learn.
- She received no training but quickly learnt on the job (= while doing the job).
- learn to do something He's learning to play the trumpet.
- Most people learn to read as children.
- learn how to do something Today we learnt how to use the new software.
- learn what, where, etc… Students need to learn what to do in an emergency.
Vocabulary Building LearningLearning- learn
- He’s learning Spanish/to swim.
- study
- She studied chemistry for three years.
- revise (British English) (North American English review)
- In this class we’ll revise/review what we did last week.
- practise (British English) (North American English practice)
- If you practise speaking English, you’ll soon improve.
- rehearse
- We only had two weeks to rehearse the play.
More Like This Verbs usually followed by infinitivesVerbs usually followed by infinitives- afford
- agree
- appear
- arrange
- attempt
- beg
- choose
- consent
- decide
- expect
- fail
- happen
- hesitate
- hope
- intend
- learn
- manage
- mean
- neglect
- offer
- prepare
- pretend
- promise
- refuse
- swear
- try
- want
- wish
Extra ExamplesTopics Educationa1- He's learning to dance.
- He’s still learning how to dance.
- Children learn very quickly.
- He was eager to learn all she could teach him.
- She learned from watching others.
- The children learn about art by painting.
- Did you ever learn any languages?
- Everyone learns in a slightly different way.
- He learned to ride when he was about three years old.
- I've forgotten most of what I learned at school.
- It's a bit overwhelming at first but don't worry, you'll soon learn.
- Most of the kids here are eager to learn.
- She's very interested in learning more about Japanese culture.
- I've got a lot to learn, haven't I?
- You still have a lot to learn.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- a lot
- quickly
- soon
- …
- need to
- be eager to
- want to
- …
- about
- from
- through
- …
- [transitive] learn something to study and repeat something in order to be able to remember it synonym memorize
- I learnt the poem by heart.
- We have to learn one of Hamlet's speeches for school tomorrow.
- You'll have to learn your lines by next week.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- a lot
- quickly
- soon
- …
- need to
- be eager to
- want to
- …
- about
- from
- through
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to gradually change your attitudes about something so that you behave in a different way
- Some people never learn, do they?
- learn from something I'm sure she'll learn from her mistakes.
- Why do people so often fail to learn from experience?
- learn (that)… He’ll just have to learn (that) he can’t always have his own way.
- They soon learn that bad behaviour is a sure-fire way of getting attention.
- learn to do something They soon learned to love living in the countryside.
- I soon learned not to ask too many questions.
- [intransitive, transitive] to become aware of something by hearing about it from somebody else synonym discover
- learn of something I first learnt of his death many years later.
- learn about something We only learned about the problems in May of this year.
- learn (that)… We were very surprised to learn (that) she had got married again.
- learn who, what, etc… We only learned who the new teacher was a few days ago.
- learn something How did they react when they learned the news?
- it is learned that… It has been learned that 500 jobs are to be lost at the factory.
Extra Examples- I learnt of her arrival from a close friend.
- We first learned of the problem from her school.
- I was surprised to learn that he was only 23.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + learn- be astonished to
- be astounded to
- be intrigued to
- …
- of
Word OriginOld English leornian ‘learn’ (in Middle English also ‘teach’), of West Germanic origin; related to German lernen, also to lore.
Idioms
know/learn/find something to your cost
- to know something because of something unpleasant that has happened to you
- He's a ruthless businessman, as I know to my cost.
learn (something) the hard way
- to find out how to behave by learning from your mistakes or from unpleasant experiences, rather than from being told
learn your lesson
- to learn what to do or not to do in the future because you have had a bad experience in the past
show somebody/know/learn the ropes
- (informal) to show somebody/know/learn how a particular job should be done
you live and learn
- used to express surprise at something new or unexpected you have been told