دَرَسَ
darasa
The English verb 'study' can be expressed in Arabic using دَرَسَ (darasa) or تَعَلَّمَ.
Meaning: to acquire knowledge (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| دَرَسَ | darasa |
| تَعَلَّمَ | taʕallama |
To express the act of acquiring knowledge, you can use دَرَسَ or تَعَلَّمَ. Related nouns include تَعَلُّم and دِرَاسَة for the process of learning or studying, and مُطَالَعَة for studying through reading or perusing material. If you are referring to a room in a house intended for reading and writing, the word مَكْتَب is used, which can also mean an office or a desk.
Which one should you use?
The verb دَرَسَ is used when referring to the academic process of studying a specific subject, a curriculum or a text. In contrast, تَعَلَّمَ focuses more on the result of the process, meaning to learn or acquire a new skill or knowledge.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun تَعَلُّم is the verbal noun derived from تَعَلَّمَ and refers to the process of learning.
How do you pronounce it?
darasa
Did you know?
- In some contexts, دَرَسَ can be used to describe the process of threshing grain, because the movement of the grain is similar to the repetitive nature of studying.
- The word دَرَسَ shares a root with a word meaning 'to tread' or 'to wear away'. This reflects the ancient idea that studying a text involves repeating it so often that the pages physically wear down.
- The root of تَعَلَّمَ is related to the word for 'mark' or 'sign' (عَلَامَة). Learning is envisioned as the process of creating a mental mark or recognizing a sign of knowledge.
Examples in context
- يجب التحصيل الجيد للنجاح في الدراسة.Good achievement is necessary for success in studying.
- دَرَسَ الطَّالِبُ فِي المَكْتَبَةِ.darasa aṭ-ṭālibu fī al-maktabati.The student studied in the library.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “study” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
