Lærte

Lærte is the simple past tense (preterite) of the Danish and Norwegian verb lære, meaning "to learn." It is used to describe a completed act of learning in the past and applies to all subjects and persons, for example: jeg lærte dansk i folkeskolen (I learned Danish in elementary school).

In both languages, the past tense form is the same across persons: jeg lærte, du lærte, han/hun lærte, vi lærte, I lærte, de lærte. The verb’s past participle is lært, which is used with auxiliary verbs to form the perfect tenses, as in jeg har lært (I have learned) or han havde lært (he had learned). The distinction between the preterite lærte and the past participle lært is a common feature of Danish and Norwegian grammar.

Etymology and cognates: lærte derives from the same Germanic root as other Scandinavian verbs meaning “to learn.” It is cognate with Norwegian Bokmål lære and Swedish lära. The broader verb family traces back to Old Norse læra and related Proto-Germanic forms.

Usage notes: In modern use, lærte expresses a completed learning event in the past. For ongoing or general learning, the present tense uses lærer (I learn). The phrase har lært is common in praise or description of acquired knowledge or skills, e.g., hun har lært at svømme (she has learned to swim). The form is distinct from the noun lærer, which means “teacher,” illustrating a homograph in Danish and Norwegian.

See also: lære (to learn/to teach), lært (past participle), lærer (teacher).