teach

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈtiːtʃ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/titʃ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(tēch)

Inflections of 'teach' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
teaches
v 3rd person singular
teaching
v pres p
taught
v past
taught
v past p
WordReference Collins English Usage © 2025
teach
teaching a subject
If you teach a subject, you explain it to people so that they know about it or understand it. The past form and -ed participle of teach is taught.
I taught history for many years.
English will be taught in primary schools.
When teach has this meaning, it often has an indirect object. The indirect object can go either in front of the direct object or after it. If it goes after the direct object, you put to in front of it.
That's the man that taught us Geography at school.
I found a job teaching English to a group of adults in Paris.
teaching a skill
If you teach someone to do something, you give them instructions so that they know how to do it.
He taught me to sing a song.
His dad had taught him to drive.
When teach is used with a to-infinitive like this, it must have a direct object. Don't say, for example, ‘His dad had taught to drive’.
Instead of using a to-infinitive, you can sometimes use an -ing form. For example, instead of saying ‘I taught them to ski’, you can say ‘I taught them skiing’. You can also say ‘I taught them how to ski’.
She taught them singing.
My mother taught me how to cook.
'teach' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "teach" in the title:

  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!