What’s wrong with this statement? “He learnt me how to code.”
Today, learn how to fix this very common mistake.
Fix the statement:
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
“He learnt me how to code.”
As an English teacher, I hear this mistake a lot! In some languages, a single verb might cover both actions, but in English, they are separate.
Learn = to get knowledge
Teach = to give knowledge
In the example, the subject (‘he’) is giving you knowledge, so the sentence should be: He taught me how to code.
Learn | Teach |
|---|---|
The model learns to classify images. | We teach the model how to classify images. |
I learnt to build neural networks. | My colleague taught me how to build neural networks. |
He’s learning how to write better code. | I’m teaching him how to write better code. |
WHY?
Learn can be intransitive or transitive.
You don’t learn someone, you learn something.
Teach is always transitive.
You can teach someone or teach something.
NOTE: There’s a key difference between American and British English when it comes to the verb ‘learn’ - can you guess what it is?
Last Week’s Poll
Well this was a resounding yes!
Carlos said, “When you have communication skills in other languages, in this case English, then you are opening doors for your future.”
By the way, this is an excellent phrase - to open doors means to create new opportunities.
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