Which one should you use?
While English speakers often distinguish between 'learning' (acquiring knowledge) and 'studying' (the act of preparing for an exam or subject), German uses lernen for both the process of studying and the resulting acquisition of knowledge. Additionally, while studieren can be used in an academic context to mean 'to study', it is much more specific than lernen.
How does it change in a sentence?
The simple past form of lernen is lernte, and the past participle used to form the perfect tense is gelernt.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈlɛrnən/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using studieren to mean 'to study' in a general sense, such as when studying for a school exam or reading a book. In these cases, you should use lernen. In German, studieren is specifically reserved for studying a subject at a university or college.
When do people say it?
When wishing someone well as they engage in a learning activity, you can say Viel Spaß beim Lernen!, which means 'Enjoy learning!'
Did you know?
- Despite their different modern meanings, lernen and lehren (to teach) share the same linguistic root. This reflects an ancient conceptual link between the act of teaching and the act of learning.
- If a German says Ich studiere, they are not just 'studying' at the moment, but are identifying themselves as a university student.
- The phrase Viel Spaß beim Lernen! uses the noun form of lernen, which is capitalized in German because all nouns are always capitalized.
Examples in context
- Du wirst es lernen.You will learn.This sentence is useful for expressing a future certainty about learning something using lernen.Tatoeba #8678231 by Melang, translation #2255309 by CK
- Was willst du lernen?What do you want to learn?This sentence is useful for asking someone about their current learning interests using lernen.Tatoeba #2223280 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2220939 by CK
- Tom wollte es lernen.Tom wanted to learn.This sentence is useful for describing a past desire to learn something using lernen.Tatoeba #7592241 by wolfgangth, translation #6532262 by CK
- Ich lerne Deutsch.I am learning German.
- Ich möchte das Klavierspielen erlernen.I want to learn how to play the piano.
- Ich studiere deutsche Literatur.I am studying German literature.
- Ich lerne Gitarre spielen.I am learning to play the guitar.
- Ich eigne mir Deutsch durch das Ansehen von Filmen an.I am learning German by watching movies.
- Ich bringe mir gerade das Programmieren bei.I am currently teaching myself how to program.
- 1146 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Julia are talking about their hobbies.
- JulianIch möchte eine neue Sprache lernen.I want to learn a new language.
- JuliaWelche Sprache möchtest du lernen, Julian?Which language do you want to learn, Julian?
- JulianIch will Spanisch lernen.I want to learn Spanish.
- JuliaDas ist eine gute Idee!That is a good idea!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “learn” translations and entries lernen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lernen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
