Teach or Learn?

The Difference between "Teach" and "Learn"

"Teach" and "learn" are easy to confuse, especially for students who are new to English.

• "To teach" means to give knowledge or a skill.
• My brother will teach me how to speak Spanish.
(My brother will give the knowledge.)
• "To learn" means to receive knowledge or a skill.
• My brother will learn how to speak Spanish from YouTube.
(My brother will receive the knowledge.)

Ready for the Test?

More about "Teach" and "Learn"

Among English learners, there is sometimes confusion over the words "teach" and "learn."

Teach

"To teach" is a verb meaning to instruct, train, or pass on knowledge.

Let's look at all five forms of the verb "to teach":

No.	Verb Form	Example
1	Base Form	teach
2	The -S Form (also called the Third Person Singular Present Tense Form)	teaches
3	Past Form	taught
4	The -ING Form (also called the Present Participle Form)	teaching
5	The Past Participle Form	taught

Example Sentences with "Teach"

Here are some easy and real-life example sentences with "teach":

• I will teach you English.
• She teaches people how to ride a horse.

Here are two real-life examples:

• Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
• You have to grow from the inside out. Nobody can teach you.

Learn

"To learn" is a verb that means to gain knowledge or skill in something by study, experience, or being taught.

Let's look at all five forms of the verb "to learn":

No.	Verb Form	Example
1	Base Form	learn
2	The -S Form (also called the Third Person Singular Present Tense Form)	learns
3	Past Form	learned (or learnt )
4	The -ING Form (also called the Present Participle Form)	learning
5	The Past Participle Form	learned (or learnt )

Read more about the past forms "learned" and "learnt."

Example Sentences with "Learn"

Here are some easy and real-life example sentences with "learn":

• We will learn how to ride a horse.
• You are learning English.

Here are two real-life examples:

• A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.
• It's very important to surround yourself with people you can learn from.