“Learn” means to gain knowledge or a skill; “study” means to spend time working on a subject, the process itself. The difference shows in a sentence like this: “You can study all evening and learn nothing.”
learn or study — can you pick the right one?
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learn + skill/words; learn to + verb; learn about + topic; study + subject; study for + exam; study at + university
- She is studying medicine at a university in Manchester.
- My son wants to learn to play the guitar this summer.
- I usually study in the library before exams because it's quieter than at home.
What changed
First versionMy brother learns at a university in Kazan.
RevisionMy brother studies at a university in Kazan.
“Learn” is fine for skills and facts, but the place where you study and a subject you work on systematically take “study”: “study at university”, “study law”.
Of these two verbs, only “learn” can mean memorising: “learn a poem by heart”, “learn the new words”. “Study the text” means something else: to read and examine the text carefully, not to memorise it.
Your turn
My daughter wants to ___ to swim before our holiday by the sea.
Show the answer
learn — Learning to swim means gaining a skill, hence “learn to swim”. “Study” is used for subjects and courses, not for a skill like this.
Write about what you are studying now. Use both verbs: name the subject or course and one thing you have already learnt.
I study economics at evening classes, and I have already learnt how to read a company's annual report.
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