We must study to learn.

[Lenka]

We must study to learn.

What does the sentence mean? I don't understand it at all.

[Harry Smith]

We must study to learn.

What does the sentence mean? I don't understand it at all.

I don't know who the author is but I think he wants to say that we must study the skills of learnig. i.e we don't know how to study smth new.

[Lenka]

I don't know who the author is but I think he wants to say that we must study the skills of learnig. i.e we don't know how to study smth new.

Thanks, Harry...

Why is not a gerund used instead of the infinitive, then?

It is said (there, where I read the sentence) that "to learn" is an adverb. I also can't understand why...

[riverkid]

Lenka: We must study to learn.

What does the sentence mean? I don't understand it at all.

Lenka,

I take it to mean that without study one cannot learn.

Don't adverbs answer, among other things, "Why?"

We must study. Why? In order to learn.

[Lenka]

Lenka: We must study to learn.

What does the sentence mean? I don't understand it at all.

Lenka,

I take it to mean that without study one cannot learn.

Don't adverbs answer, among other things, "Why?"

We must study. Why? In order to learn.

What is the difference between "to learn/study", then? I thought they had very close meanings, but would it make sense if you said "We must buy to purchase - we must buy in order to purchase..."? Probably not...

[riverkid]

What is the difference between "to learn/study", then? I thought they had very close meanings, but would it make sense if you said "We must buy to purchase - we must buy in order to purchase..."? Probably not...

Now I see your difficulty. The two words are not the same, at least not always or in this case. Many people study for a lot of years but that doesn't mean they really learn. A lot of people simply memorize what they're taught without ever applying any thought to it. The end result, they don't learn or at least they don't learn well.

Studying does not necessarily entail thinking but learning definitely does.

[Lenka]

Now I see your difficulty. The two words are not the same, at least not always or in this case. Many people study for a lot of years but that doesn't mean they really learn. A lot of people simply memorize what they're taught without ever applying any thought to it. The end result, they don't learn or at least they don't learn well.

Studying does not necessarily entail thinking but learning definitely does.

Aha... I see! But it is still quite difficult to understand. I know I am still everything comparing with my mother language, which I shouldn't do, but I just can't stop it ;). We would use one word for it. That is why it is not easy to see the difference for me. It would be word "učit se", which is (at least in my opinion) a "polysematic word" (does word "polysematic" exist in English at all? I've just made it up...)

In German, there is a difference between "studieren" and "lernen". You can study only at a university, while learn at a normal school. It means "studieren" is rather more difficult, I think.
In Czech it is similar - we have an English loan word "studovat" which is used rather by those people, who study at a university.


Can you say "We must learn to study" ? Does it make sense?

[riverkid]

Lenka: It would be word "učit se", which is (at least in my opinion) a "polysematic word" (does word "polysematic" exist in English at all? I've just made it up...)

I'm not sure if it does or not, Lenka.


Can you say "We must learn to study" ? Does it make sense?

Yup, it surely does. Right off the bat, it means to me, "we must learn how to study effectively". I'm sure that there could be other intended meanings.

[Lenka]

The difference is difficult... I'll try consulting it with some Czechs and if I still won't understand it, I will come back here and probably ask again.
Thank you for the meantime :).

[MikeNewYork]

The difference is difficult... I'll try consulting it with some Czechs and if I still won't understand it, I will come back here and probably ask again.
Thank you for the meantime :).

When you flip those sentences, you change the relationships.

We must study to learn means we must study in order to learn.

We must learn to study does not mean we must learn in order to study.

In that case "learn to" means develop a skill, as in learn to fly, learn to solve equations, etc.

Does that help?