[ti:Ask a Teacher: Study or Learn?]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:00.00]English language learners use the verbs "study" and "learn" all the time.
[00:08.17]Yet, they often are unsure which to choose in a situation.
[00:14.28]Our subject today comes from Salah of Yemen.
[00:19.77]The writer asks:
[00:21.83]I would like to know the difference
[00:24.26]between "study" and "learn." Thanks! – Salah, Yemen
[00:28.29]Hello, Salah, and thanks for your note!
[00:32.62]Let's begin with the dictionary meaning of each word.
[00:36.98]These are from the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary:
[00:42.31]To study means to read, memorize facts or attend school
[00:48.27]in order to learn about a subject.
[00:51.51]To learn means to gain knowledge or skill by studying,
[00:56.89]practicing, being taught or experiencing something.
[01:01.36]So, studying is just one way of learning.
[01:06.08]But, it is not the only way.
[01:09.38]Sometimes, we learn through experience.
[01:12.77]For example, if you travel to Thailand, you can visit a lot of sights,
[01:18.94]try the traditional foods and talk to the local people.
[01:23.53]By the time you leave,
[01:25.52]you will have gained a lot of knowledge about the country.
[01:29.31]So, you can say, "I learned so much about Thailand!"
[01:35.11]You could not say, "I studied so much about Thailand!"
[01:39.99]because your actions did not mainly involve reading, memorizing facts,
[01:46.34]taking a course, attending school or something similar.
[01:51.83]In addition, when you study something, you have not learned it yet.
[01:57.21]And, sometimes, you can even study something without learning it.
[02:02.93]For example, if you say, "I studied English,"
[02:07.21]it may mean you took English classes.
[02:10.37]Or maybe you tried to teach yourself through an app or language website.
[02:16.96]But maybe you had difficulty with this
[02:20.77]and still do not know how to speak the language.
[02:25.08]In that situation, you could not say, "I learned English,"
[02:30.64]because that would mean you had gained enough knowledge to use it.
[02:35.74]If the difference between "learn" and "study" is not clear yet,
[02:40.52]here are a few sentences that compare them:
[02:44.57]He learned so much about Thailand on his trip.
[02:49.63]He studied Thai history and culture in college.
[02:54.73]They learned how to write stories in the new writing class.
[03:00.71]They spent time studying the techniques of story-writing.
[03:06.64]Where did you learn how to bake so well?
[03:10.56]Did you study baking in school?
[03:14.06]And one last tip for remembering the difference is this expression:
[03:20.98]"I studied but I did not learn anything."
[03:25.03]And that's Ask a Teacher.
[03:28.24]I'm Alice Bryant.
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