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Word 378 of 20,277 German · A1
Verb
lernen
to learnTo acquire new knowledge or skills through practice, instruction, or experience.
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Meaning 1
lernen
to learn a skillTo acquire new knowledge or a new ability through practice, instruction, or experience.
Mein Sohn lernt gerade schwimmen.My son is learning to swim right now.
Meaning 2
lernen
to learn from experienceTo draw a lesson for the future from an experience, especially from a mistake.
Ich habe gelernt, nicht jedem blind zu vertrauen.I have learned not to trust everyone blindly.
Er lernt, Auto zu fahren.
He is learning to drive a car.zu
When lernen introduces a new skill, the second verb often appears as a zu-infinitive at the end.
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Words in the wild
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Video example 16:23
Sie kreisen über dem Wasser und eilen zurück, um sich die besten Plätze zu sichern.
They circle over the water and hurry back to secure the best spots.
sichern to secure · verb
Albert Einstein Physicist · Mein Weltbild
Famous quotation“Das Schönste, was wir erleben können, ist das Geheimnisvolle.”
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”
erleben
to experience · verb
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Learning tip
Learning from a mistake
When lernen means drawing a lesson from an experience, German very often uses aus followed by the dative case.
Pattern
Man sollte aus seinen Fehlern lernen.
You should learn from your mistakes.
Compare confusing words
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lernen vs studieren lernen vs üben lernen vs erfahren
Commonly confused
lernen vs studieren
Lernen is the general word for acquiring knowledge or a skill. Studieren usually means studying a subject at a university. You normally Deutsch lernen, unless German is your university subject.
Maria lernt für die Prüfung. · Maria is studying for the exam.
Sie studiert Medizin. · She studies medicine at university.
German frequency path Words 1–100
30 exploredKnown To learn Learning New
#30 · A1 · Conjunction
aber
but / howeverExplore by usefulness
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Noun · B1 · Level 3
die Erinnerung
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