# изучать/учить



## rubes1

Could somebody please explain the difference between the two words? 

Do they both mean the exact same thing, "to learn"? Is one more correct or common?

Also, I know how to conjugate изучать in present tense, but does учить follow the same conjugation pattern? 

Could somebody please show me how to conjugate it in present form? I'm not sure if I need to change the letters, for example, it doesn't seem right to say я учию. Perhaps я учаю?

Thanks!


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## cablino

Учить takes the second conjugation. vowel letters "у" and "а" are used after "к" "г" "ж" "ч" "ш" and "щ". While Изучать takes the first conjugation where "ю" is written after another vowel. "У" is written after consonants and "ё" is written only when the ending is stressed. You can find more information about these two conjugations (and others) online or from almost any book. 

Я уч*у*
Ты *у*чишь 
Он/Она *у*чит
Мы *у*чим
Вы *у*чите
Они *у*чат
*bold represents verbal stress.

Check out 501 Russian Verbs (Barron's Foreign Language Guides), this is a great book with 501 conjugations that go into a lot of depth on all conjugation including present, past, present, future, conditional, perfective, imperfective, deverbals, and imperatives. This book also gives a lot of great examples - very helpful.

Учить also means to teach. Изучать means to learn or study. I will leave it to the natives to clear that up though.


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## babochka

If I'm remembering correctly, and my handy Russian dictionary is steering me in the right direction, Учить is a verb that takes an object of the action (in the accusative case).  To state you are studying "something", you use Учить or the perfective form, depending on your intent.

Изучать, on the other hand, does not require a direct object.  So, if you were to simply state, "I'm studying", this is the verb to use.

As a non-native speaker always looking for improvement, however, I will graciously accept any corrections.


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## estreets

Well, I think babochka is not quite right with "Изучать". It does require a direct object. (Well, учиться does not).
Cablino is quite right, "учить" has two meanings, to learn/study (smth) and to teach (smb).
"Изучать" sounds a little bit more... academic, I'd say.
Most schoolchildren say "учить", most students (those who study in higher education establishments)  say "изучать".
Personally , I see no difference between them (except for this slight academic shade).


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## Day & Night

Yes, the verb *изучать* does have some kind of academic shade. *Изучать *would rather be translated as *study.

*to study a language - изучать язык (делать для себя выводы, постигать)
to study a problem - изучить проблему (исследовать проблему)


The verb *learn *means *учиться, научиться. Учиться* emphasises that you will apply your memory, but that doesn't emphasise that you will come to any conclusions. *Научиться *rather means to learn some skills.

to learn a language - учить язык (скорее, подразумевается обычная зубрёжка слов и грамматических правил, но не анализ)
to learn how to drive a car - научиться водить машину (получить навыки)


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## rubes1

Thanks to all for your responses! And thank you, Day & Night, for your thorough explanation and for adding a new word to my vocab! 

 
Now, if I just may ask please, how do you conjugate *Научиться* in present form? I'm a beginner and haven't yet learned any verbs ending with *я.*

 
Thanks again! I love this forum!


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## Katya34

*Научиться* doesn't have present form because it means finished process. 
Future form: Я научусь чему-либо 
Past form: Я научился чему-либо- I learnt smt in past and now I can do it.


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## Awwal12

Verbs of perfective aspect have no present form at all; that is especially evident speaking about verbs that have no pairs of imperfective aspect ("очутиться", "ринуться" etc.) The verb "научиться" fully corresponds to this rule.


> Past form: Я научился чему-либо- I learnt smt in past and now I can do it.


Rather "I *have* learnt smth.", I believe.


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## Day & Night

rubes1 said:


> Now, if I just may ask please, how do you conjugate *Научиться* in present form? I'm a beginner and haven't yet learned any verbs ending with *я.*



You can say *я учусь *in the present tense instead of that:

Я (сейчас) учусь водить машину, и я обязательно (скоро) научусь, ведь я уже многому научился.


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## Awwal12

Day & Night said:


> You can say *я учусь *in the present tense instead of that:
> 
> Я (сейчас) учусь водить машину, и я обязательно (скоро) научусь, ведь я уже многому научился.


Yes, but note, please, that it is a present form of another verb ("учиться"), which is just an imperfective pair for the verb "научиться". Obviously, not all perfective and imperfective verbs have such a pair of the opposite aspect.


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## rubes1

Thanks guys! I think I'm totally not there yet w/ the imperfect and perfect conjugations, though I understand the concept. I've only had 2 classes so far though! Need to master present tense first I will definitely be coming back with more questions!


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## Dmitry_86

rubes1 said:


> Could somebody please explain the difference between the two words?
> 
> Do they both mean the exact same thing, "to learn"? Is one more correct or common?
> 
> Also, I know how to conjugate изучать in present tense, but does учить follow the same conjugation pattern?
> 
> Could somebody please show me how to conjugate it in present form? I'm not sure if I need to change the letters, for example, it doesn't seem right to say я учию. Perhaps я учаю?
> 
> Thanks!



First I will give you some examples with both words:

Изучать предмет - to study a subject
Изучать язык - to study a language
Изучать закономерности - to study laws/rules (for example someone's way of life, behaviour, habits, etc.)
Изучать документ - to study a document (in order to make sure that it contains no faults or discrepancies)


Учить язык - to learn a language
Учить детей - to teach/instruct children
Учить кого-то чему-то to teach somebody something
Учить = преподавать - to teach
Учить роль - to learn a role/a part
Учить стихотворение - to learn a poem (by heart)

The word "изучать" implies that someone delves into some problem and investigates it very thoroughly. This word is usually used with reference to scientists, scholars, teachers, etc. Briefly speaking, any academic studying aimed at accomplishinh some research. At the same time "изучать" is also used to talk about students studying in universities even if they are not going to pursue an academic career. As regards school, this is also possible but school children normally do not study a subjest that profou ndly because they must master the basics only and their education will be continued in universities and colleges.

"Учить" is often used to talk about something which learn by heart so as not to forget it and reproduce when necessary. This concerns a poem, a part, a speech, etc. "Учить" used without any object means to teach someone something. Also the verb can be encountered in the contexts when an instructor informs people about, for example, safety measures or how to behave in a particular situation. Finally, you can hear the word "учить" used to talk about studying something in higher school, but I consider this usage not completely correct.


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## marco_2

But there is another problem. All my life I was taught that we should say e.g. учиться русскому языку = to study Russian and учить русский язык only as учить уроки (do your homework) e.g. Я сейчас учу историю, а потом я буду учить русский язык, т.е. "учить" имело значение "повторяя что-либо, запоминать, усваивать конкретный материал" или "выполнять домашнее задание по какому-либо предмету", whereas I noticed that now you use expressions like учить русский язык in the meaning учиться русскому языку (т.е. приобретать знания, практические навыки, умения). Am I right?


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## Awwal12

Yes, I suppose. "Учить язык" probably sounds even more naturally than "учиться языку". "Учиться" sounds good with infinitives ("учиться плавать") - where "учить" would have totally another meaning (to teach). Also it sounds good when you are getting some skills ("учиться плаванию"  instead of "учить плавание" ). But when we speak about studying of language, we mean studying and/or memorizing, not getting skills. )


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## dec-sev

marco_2 said:


> ... whereas I noticed that now you use expressions like учить русский язык in the meaning учиться русскому языку (т.е. приобретать знания, практические навыки, умения). Am I right?


 Absolutely. 
Я учу испанский  and я учусь испанскому are the same to me. As Awwal has already mentioned the former sounds more natural/less formal, you name it. I would only add that "учиться плавать" is more natural to me than "учиться плаванию". 


Awwal12 said:


> But when we speak about studying of language, we mean studying and/or memorizing, not getting skills. )


 В чём разница межу изучением языка и приобритением практических навыков языка, (который ты учишь)?


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## Awwal12

> I would only add that "учиться плавать" is more natural to me than "учиться плаванию".


Yes. In general case, the use of verbs is more natural and/or informal in Russian than use of related verbal nouns and participles.


> В чём разница межу изучением языка и приобритением практических навыков языка, (который ты учишь)?


Обучение языку, конечно, тоже подразумевает получение каких-то навыков (опять же, "учиться языку"), но это не ключевой аспект. Язык можно "учить" и "изучать", и это более чем естественные обороты - так же, как "учить стихотворение" или "изучать химию"; в то же время, оборот "учить плавание"  попросту невозможен, а "изучать плавание" - возможен только в самом узком контексте ("изучать теорию плавания"). Приходится делать вывод, что "учить что-л." подразумевает именно изучение и/или запоминание.


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## dec-sev

Человек учится в институте на переводчика. В ходе обучения он приобретает знания и навыки (умение переводить). То, о чем говорил marco_2 в посте №6. По прошествии пяти лет он получает диплом, который свидетельствует о том, что он приобрел необходимые навыки или, другими словами, выучил язык до уровня, позволяющего ему работать переводчиком. 

Re: skills
В школе меня учили, что skilful -- это о человеке, который работает руками, но skills, насколько я знаю, можно применять и по отношению к навыкам, связынных с умственным трудом. Поэтому фраза  "But when we speak about studying of language, we mean studying and/or memorizing, not getting skills. )" прозвучала несколько странно для меня.
P.S. sounds even more naturally
An adjective to be used after "to sound", I beleive.


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## Awwal12

> P.S. sounds even more naturally
> An adjective to be used after "to sound", I beleive.


Hm... Thanks. )


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## Volhv

"Учить" is "to learn", while "изучать" means "to study" (in a complete, full and thorough form).
 "I'm learning" is "Я учу", not "Я учаю".


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