taught

taught — verb

1. the form the verb 'teach' takes when the teaching happened in the past — used fo

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

the form the verb 'teach' takes when the teaching happened in the past — used for both the simple past tense and the past participle in perfect tenses

Example

Tuan taught English at a school in Hanoi for five years.

past simple: taught + at [place] + for [duration]

The children were taught by Ms. Ritu Patel, who used songs to help them learn.

passive voice: were taught by [person]

Common collocations
  • taught at
  • taught by
  • taught for
  • taught since
  • well taught

Grammar Patterns

taught + noun phrase

taught + noun phrase + to-infinitive

Usage Note

The form 'taught' is irregular — it does not follow the regular -ed past tense pattern. It is the only past form for both simple past and all perfect tenses. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 identifies the grammatical form, while sense 2 describes the act of giving instruction.

Common Mistakes

He teached the class yesterday.
He taught the class yesterday.
'teach' is an irregular verb; its past form is 'taught', not 'teached'.
She has teached at that school for a decade.
She has taught at that school for a decade.
after 'has' or 'have', you need the past participle 'taught', not the base form with -ed.

2. to give someone the knowledge, understanding, or ability to do something through

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

to give someone the knowledge, understanding, or ability to do something through instruction, explanation, or repeated experience — for example, showing a child how to read, explaining a historical event, or gradually shaping a habit or attitude

Example

Roya taught her little brother how to tie his shoelaces with a double knot.

taught + [person] + how to + [verb]

The communication workshop taught Samir that listening carefully matters more than talking a lot.

taught + [person] + that-clause (lesson learned)

Common collocations
  • taught a lesson
  • taught a skill
  • taught music
  • taught history
  • taught English
  • taught to read
  • taught about life
  • taught by experience
Synonyms
  • instructed

    more formal and focused on step-by-step directions, especially in workplace or military settings

  • trained

    emphasises practice and skill development over a period of time

  • educated

    broader and more formal, often about a range of subjects rather than one skill

  • tutored

    implies one-to-one private teaching, often outside a regular classroom

Antonyms
  • learned

    the receiving side of teaching; what the student does

  • studied

    the learner's own effort to gain knowledge, without a teacher

Grammar Patterns

taught + person + to-infinitive

taught + person + how + to-infinitive

taught + person + that-clause

taught + person + about + topic

taught + reflexive pronoun + topic

Usage Note

Frequently used with an indirect object (the person learning) before the skill or knowledge: 'taught us mathematics', NOT 'taught to us mathematics'. The pattern 'taught + person + to-infinitive' can describe both practical skills ('taught him to ride a bike') and moral or behavioural lessons ('taught her to be honest'). For the gradual shaping of habits or attitudes, the object is typically followed by 'to' plus an infinitive expressing the desired behaviour.

Common Mistakes

The professor taught to us the history of Taiwan.
The professor taught us the history of Taiwan.
'teach' takes a direct indirect object before the direct object, without 'to'.
The course taught me how can I fix a car.
The course taught me how to fix a car.
after 'how', use 'to + infinitive', not a question word order.

Word family

  • teach
    verbA1
  • teacher
    nounA1
  • teaching
    nounA2
  • teachable
    adjectiveB2
  • teacherly
    adjectiveC1
  • unteachable
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

While all four words describe giving knowledge or skills, they differ in setting and focus. 'Taught' is the broadest and most neutral — a parent teaches a child to ride a bike, a professor teaches a university class. 'Instructed' is more formal and procedural, often used in workplaces or technical contexts (a supervisor instructs staff on safety rules). 'Trained' emphasises repeated practice toward a measurable skill, such as training a team for a marathon or training staff on software. 'Educated' covers a wider range of subjects over a longer period, typically in a school setting. 'Tutored' refers to one-on-one private instruction, usually outside regular classes. For example: 'Mr. Chen taught physics at the high school'; 'The coach trained the swimmers every morning'; 'She tutored two students in Mandarin after school.'

instructedtrainededucated ↗tutored

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • well taught
  • properly taught
  • carefully taught
  • taught privately
  • taught formally

Phrases

  • taught from an early age
  • taught the hard way
  • taught by example

Prepositions

  • taught by
  • taught to
  • taught about
  • taught at
  • taught in
  • taught through

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'taught' comes from Old English 'tǣhte', the past tense of 'tǣcan' (to teach). Both trace back to the Proto-Germanic root '*taikijaną', meaning 'to show' or 'to point out', which is related to the modern German 'zeigen' (to show) and the English word 'token' (something that points to or represents something else). Over time, the meaning shifted from simply 'showing' to 'showing how to do something' — that is, giving instruction.