learn by heart

IPA/lˈɜːn baɪ hˈɑːt/
IPA/lˈɜːn baɪ hˈɑːɹt/

learn by heart — 慣用語

1. to memorise something completely so that you are able to say or write every part

1.慣用語及物B1
釋義

背熟；牢記

將內容完全記住，能不靠提示重複背出

to memorise something completely so that you are able to say or write every part of it without any help

例句

Yuki learned the entire piano piece by heart before the recital.

Yuki 在獨奏會前把整首鋼琴曲背熟了。

learn + [piece/text] + by heart for performance

Dimitri had to learn twenty irregular verbs by heart for the French exam.

Dimitri 為了法語考試必須背熟二十個不規則動詞。

同義詞
  • memorise

    more formal and general; does not carry the same warmth or personal effort as 'learn by heart'

  • commit to memory

    more formal and deliberate; often implies a conscious decision to memorise something permanently

  • learn off by heart

    British variant, identical in meaning but slightly more colloquial

反義詞
  • forget

    general opposite; the natural loss of memorised content over time

文法句型

learn + [something] + by heart

用法筆記

The object always goes between 'learn' and 'by heart': 'learn a poem by heart', never 'learn by heart a poem'. Used only for verbal or textual content (lines, songs, facts, verses) — not for physical skills.

常見錯誤

❌I learned to swim by heart.
✅I practised swimming until it became second nature.
💡'learn by heart' is only for things you can recite or write out, not physical skills.
❌She learned by heart the speech.
✅She learned the speech by heart.
💡the object must come before 'by heart'.