учить

Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic учити (učiti), from Proto-Slavic *učiti.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ʊˈt͡ɕitʲ]
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

учи́ть • (učítʹimpf (perfective вы́учить or научи́ть or обучи́ть)

  1. to teach, to instruct (often not in an academic setting) [with accusative ‘someone’, along with dative ‘a skill, principle, etc.’ or infinitive ‘to do something’; or intransitive (to be a teacher)]
    Perfectives: научи́ть (naučítʹ), обучи́ть (obučítʹ)
    Она́ у́чит меня́ англи́йскому языку́.Oná účit menjá anglíjskomu jazykú.She teaches me English.
    • 1876, Russian Synodal Bible, Mark 4:1:
      И опять начал учить при море; и собралось к Нему множество народа, так что Он вошел в лодку и сидел на море, а весь народ был на земле, у моря.
      I opjatʹ načal učitʹ pri more; i sobralosʹ k Nemu množestvo naroda, tak što On vošel v lodku i sidel na more, a vesʹ narod byl na zemle, u morja.
      Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that He got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge.
  2. (colloquial) to learn, to study [with accusative ‘something’ and по (po, + dative) ‘using a book or method’]
    Perfective: вы́учить (výučitʹ)
  3. (colloquial) to memorize by rote
    Perfective: вы́учить (výučitʹ)
    учи́ть рольučítʹ rolʹto memorize one's lines
  4. (colloquial, dated) to beat, to whip (of corporal punishment, often towards a child) [with accusative ‘someone’ and instrumental ‘with or using something’]
    учи́ть ремнёмučítʹ remnjómto belt

Conjugation

Derived terms

verbs

References

  • Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “учить”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress

Further reading

Ukrainian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ʊˈt͡ʃɪtʲ]

Verb

учи́ть • (učýtʹ)

  1. third-person singular present imperfective of учи́ти (učýty)