experience
gb/ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/ us/ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
A2
English
~ 1500
tapasztalat, élmény, átél, tapasztal
NOUN
B1
1
tapasztalat
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone] has experience in [something]
She has a lot of experience in teaching young children.
Sok tapasztalata van a kisgyerekek tanításában.
His travel experience helped him adapt quickly to new cultures.
Utazási tapasztalatai segítettek neki gyorsan alkalmazkodni az új kultúrákhoz.
I don't have much experience with computer programming.
Work experience is often required for this job.
They value candidates with customer service experience.
Learner examples
I have experience in cooking.
Van tapasztalatom a főzésben.
She has experience with dogs.
Van tapasztalata a kutyákkal.
He got work experience last summer.
I need more experience to get the job.
We want someone with teaching experience.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'experience' (uncountable) meaning knowledge with 'an experience' (countable) meaning an event. For example, 'I had many experiences in teaching' is unnatural when referring to general skill; it should be 'I have a lot of experience in teaching.'
Meaning
Knowledge from practical involvement
Collocations
gain experience
|have experience
|lack experience
|work experience
|practical experience
Synonyms
expertise (Implies a high level of specialized skill or knowledge, often more advanced than general experience.)
|
know-how (Informal; emphasizes the practical ability to do something.)
Antonyms
inexperience (Refers to the lack of knowledge or skill from not having done something before.)
Themes
daily life
|education
|work
|core_vocabulary
Definition
What you know or can do because you have done something before.
Practical knowledge, skill, or understanding gained through direct participation in events or activities.
NOUN
A2
2
élmény
B1
tapasztalat
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone] has [an/another] experience [of/with something]
My trip to Japan was an unforgettable experience.
A japán utazásom felejthetetlen élmény volt.
It was his first experience of living alone.
Ez volt az, amikor először megtapasztalta, milyen egyedül élni.
She told us about a strange experience she had in the forest.
The concert was a wonderful experience for everyone.
Getting lost in the city was quite an experience.
Learner examples
The trip was a good experience.
Az utazás jó élmény volt.
I had a bad experience at the restaurant.
Rossz élményem volt az étteremben.
It was my first experience of snow.
That was a strange experience for me.
The party was a fun experience.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'experience' (countable) meaning an event with 'experience' (uncountable) meaning skill. For example, 'I have many experiences in teaching' should be 'I have much experience in teaching' unless they mean specific events.
Meaning
Event lived through personally
Collocations
memorable experience
|life-changing experience
|first experience
|strange experience
Synonyms
incident (Neutral; refers to a specific occurrence, often less personal.)
|
encounter (Suggests meeting someone or something, sometimes unexpectedly.)
Antonyms
non-event (An event that turns out to be unimportant or uneventful.)
Themes
daily life
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Something that happens to you and that you remember.
An event, activity, or situation that someone lives through or participates in, often affecting them emotionally or mentally.
VERB
B1
3
Usage pattern:
to experience [something]
Many people will experience stress during exams.
Sokan élnek át stresszt a vizsgák idején.
She experienced great joy when she heard the news.
Nagy örömöt élt át, amikor meghallotta a hírt.
We all experienced delays because of the storm.
He has never experienced such cold weather before.
They are experiencing rapid growth in sales.
Learner examples
I experienced rain on my trip.
Az utamon esőt is tapasztaltam.
She experienced pain in her leg.
Fájdalmat érzett a lábában.
We experienced a long wait at the airport.
He experienced many problems at work.
They experienced cold weather in Canada.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes overuse 'experience' instead of simpler verbs like 'have' or 'feel', making sentences sound unnatural. For example, 'I experienced happiness' is less natural than 'I felt happy.'
Meaning
To live through something personally
Collocations
experience difficulties
|experience pain
|experience changes
|experience joy
Synonyms
undergo (Often used in more formal contexts, especially for processes or medical procedures.)
|
face (Emphasizes confronting challenges or problems.)
Antonyms
avoid (To keep something from happening to you or prevent going through it.)
Themes
daily life
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To have something happen to you or to feel something.
To encounter or live through an event, situation, or condition, especially one that affects you directly.
Grammar
Dictionary form
experience
IPA
GB/ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
US/ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
Syllables & stress
ex - per - i - ence (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (per)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: experience
- Plural: experience, experiences
Verb
- Base: experience
- 3rd Person Singular: experiences
- Present Participle: experiencing
- Past: experienced
Word family
Forms
experiences
noun
experiencing
verb
experienced
verb
Negative and opposite forms
inexperience
noun
inexperienced
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
experiential
adjective
Expressions
a learning experience
1/ə lˈɚnɪŋ ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
fixed phrase
Event that teaches something valuable
An event that helps you learn something new, usually from mistakes or problems.
Examples
- The failure was a learning experience for the whole team.
- Living abroad was a real learning experience for me.
gain experience
1/ɡˈeɪn ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
fixed phrase
Get more skill through practice
To get more knowledge or skill by doing things over time.
Examples
- You will gain valuable experience in this internship.
- She gained a lot of experience working on the project.
learn from experience
1/lˈɚn fɹˈʌm ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
fixed phrase
Gain knowledge by living through events
To understand something better after it has happened to you.
Examples
- I learned from experience that it's better to double-check your work.
- You will learn from experience how to handle difficult customers.
life-changing experience
1/lˈaɪf t͡ʃˈeɪnd͡ʒɪŋ ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
fixed phrase
Event that changes someone's life significantly
Something that happens and changes your life in an important way.
Examples
- Meeting her was a life-changing experience.
- Traveling alone was a life-changing experience for him.
personal experience
1/pˈɚsənəl ɪkspˈɪɹiəns/
fixed phrase
Something you went through yourself
Something that happened to you personally, not to someone else.
Examples
- Speaking from personal experience, I can say this method works well.
- Her advice comes from personal experience with the problem.