learnt

learnt — verb

1. the form of the verb 'learn' that British speakers use for actions that happened

1.verbtransitive / intransitive
Definition

the form of the verb 'learn' that British speakers use for actions that happened or were completed in the past — corresponding to American English 'learned'.

Example

Indra learnt how to make traditional dumplings from her grandmother.

learnt how to + verb phrase

The children had already learnt all their lines before the school play.

had learnt + direct object (past perfect)

Common collocations
  • learnt how to
  • learnt to
  • learnt that
  • learnt about
  • learnt from
  • learnt by heart
  • learnt the hard way
  • learnt one's lesson

Grammar Patterns

learnt + noun phrase

learnt + to-infinitive

learnt + that-clause

learnt + wh-clause

learnt + about/of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently contrasted with US English 'learned'. In British English, 'learnt' is the standard past form in both speech and writing; 'learned' also occurs but is less common. Do not confuse the past form 'learnt' with the adjective 'learned' (pronounced /ˈlɜː.nɪd/), which means 'having much knowledge gained by study'.

Common Mistakes

He is a learnt man who has read many books.
He is a learned man who has read many books.
'learnt' is only the past form of the verb 'learn'; the adjective meaning 'scholarly' is spelled 'learned' and pronounced with two syllables (learn-ed).
I have learn a lot from this experience.
I have learnt a lot from this experience.
The past participle after 'have' must include the -t (or -ed) ending.

Word family

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishBritish English

The -t ending in 'learnt' (instead of -ed) comes from the Old English strong verb 'leornian', whose past form was 'leornode' — the -t ending became standard in British English during the 16th–17th centuries as part of a wider shift affecting verbs like 'burn' (burnt), 'spell' (spelt), and 'dream' (dreamt). In American English, the regular -ed pattern ('learned') prevailed due to Noah Webster's reforms in the early 1800s.