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E EnglishDart
A1

Learn vs Teach

Learn = receive knowledge (I learn English). Teach = give knowledge (she teaches English). They are opposite sides of the same lesson.

The one-line answer

Learn = receive knowledge (I learn English). Teach = give knowledge (she teaches English). They are opposite sides of the same lesson.

learn

verb

to gain knowledge or a skill (learn – learnt/learned)

  • She's learning to drive.
  • I learned a lot from that course.
  • Children learn languages quickly.

teach

verb

to give knowledge or a skill to someone (teach – taught – taught)

  • She teaches math at a school.
  • My father taught me to swim.
  • He teaches English online.

Memory trick

The learner learns; the teacher teaches — same family, opposite direction. Never 'he learned me to swim' — that's 'he taught me'.

Learn vs Teach: Test yourself

Question 1 of 2

My grandmother ___ me how to cook.