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English language learners use the
verbs STUDY and LEARN all the time.
Yet, they often are unsure which to
choose in a situation.
Let’s
begin with the
dictionary
meaning of each word:
learners: estudiantes
principiantes, aprendices; yet:
no obstante, a pesar de ello; are
unsure which to choose: no están
seguros de cuál elegir;
dictionary meaning: significado
del diccionario; each word:
cada palabra;
TO STUDY means to read, memorize
facts or attend school in order to
learn about a subject.
means: significa;
memorize facts: memorizar hechos
o datos; attend school:
asistir a la escuela; in order to
learn about: a fin de aprender
sobre;
TO LEARN means to gain knowledge or
skill by studying, practicing, being
taught or experiencing something.
gain knowledge or skill:
adquirir conocimiento o destreza;
by studying, practicing: por
medio del estudio, práctica;
being taught: siendo educado o
enseñado; or experiencing: o
experimentando algo
So, studying is just one
way of learning. But, it is not the
only way.
so: de modo que; one way
of learning: una manera de
aprender; the only way: la
única forma (de hacerlo);
LEARN
Sometimes, we learn through
experience. For example, if you
travel to Thailand, you can visit a
lot of sights,
try the traditional foods and talk
to the local people. By the time you
leave, you will have gained a lot of
knowledge about the country. So, you
can say, "I LEARNED so much about
Thailand!
sometimes: a veces;
through experience: a través de
la experiencia; a lot of sights:
monumentos, lugares de interés;
try the traditional foods:
probar las comidas tradicionales;
talk to: conversar con; the
local people: los habitantes del
lugar; by the time you leave:
para el momento en que te retires
(del lugar); you will have gained:
habrás adquirido (futuro perfecto
simple >>
repasa aquí
los usos de este tiempo verbal);
a lot of knowledge about: mucho
conocimiento sobre; country:
país; I learned so much:
aprendi muchísimo;
You could not say, “I STUDIED
so much about Thailand!” because
your actions did not mainly involve
reading, memorizing facts, taking a
course, attending school or
something similar.
you could not say: no
deberías decir; did not mainly
involve: no incluyeron
básicamente; reading, memorizing
facts: lectura, memorización de
hechos o datos;
STUDY
In addition, when you study
something, you have not learned
it yet.
in addition: además, aparte
de ello; you have not learned it
yet: todavía no lo has aprendido;
And, sometimes, you can even study
something without learning
it. For example, if you say, “I
STUDIED English,” it may mean you
took English classes. Or maybe you
tried to teach yourself through an
app or
language website.
you can even study: incluso
puedes estudiar; without learning
it: sin aprenderlo; it may
mean: puede significar que;
you took English classes:
tomaste clases de inglés; maybe
you tried to teach yourself:
quizás intentaste hacer
autodidáctica; through an app or
language website: por medio de
una aplicación o sitio web
(como
OM Personal
English, por ejemplo
:-)
But maybe you had difficulty with
this and still do not know how to
speak the language. In that
situation, you could not say,
“I learned English”, because that
would mean you had gained enough
knowledge to use it.
maybe you had difficulty with this:
quizás te fue complicado con esto;
still do not know how to speak:
aún no sabes hablar; because that
would mean: porque eso
significaría que (condicional simple
>>
repasa aquí
los usos de este tiempo verbal);
you have gained enough knowledge:
has adquirido el suficiente
conocimiento; to use it: para
utilizarlo;
EXAMPLES
If the difference between LEARN and
STUDY is not clear yet, here are a
few sentences that compare them:
is not clear yet: todavía no te
queda clara; here are a few
sentences: aquí tienes algunas
oraciones; that compare them:
que los comparan (a ambos verbos);
He learned so much about Thailand on
his trip.
Él aprendió muchísimo de
Tailandia en su viaje.
He studied Thai history and
culture in college.
Él estudió historia y cultura
tailandesas en la universidad.
They learned how to write stories in
the new writing class.
Ellos/as aprendieron a redactar
cuentos en la nueva clase de
redacción.
They spent time studying the
techniques of story-writing.
Ellos/as dedicaron tiempo a
estudiar las técnica de redacción de
cuentos.
Where did you learn how to
bake so well?
¿Dónde aprendiste a hornear tan
bien?
Did you study baking in
school?
¿Estudiaste cómo cocer al horno
en la escuela?
And one last tip
for remembering the difference is
this expression:
“I STUDIED but I did not LEARN
anything”.
one last tip: un último
consejo práctico; for
remembering: para recordar la
diferencia; is this expression:
es esta expresión; I studied but
I did not learn anything:
Estudié pero no aprendí nada.
I’m Alice Bryant. |
