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Imagine you write down a list of things you want to learn. For example:

  • speaking Spanish
  • playing piano
  • cooking sushi, etc.

What name you would give such a list? German has a single word for it, which is "Lernwunsch".

Directly translated into English it would be "learn wish", but this expression doesn`t exist. Is there a pleasant-natured expression? (Curriculum, syllabus, and prerequisites sound too academic.)

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  • Details, please
    – user3169
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 19:53
  • The three phrases you're asking about aren't grammatically correct in English, so we need more detail to understand what you're asking. Explain a little more why you are interested in the differences.
    – ColleenV
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 19:55
  • Thanks ColleenV. Imaging you write down a list of all things / skills you want to learn. How you would such a list call?
    – Felix
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 20:10
  • Hi Felix, welcome to ELL. Please use the "edit" facility to change your question text, rather than adding extra details in comments.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 21:39
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    Felix, I've improved your edit (we don't include salutations or signatures on StackExchange), but the best answer that I could give is that such a single word probably doesn't exist, though I'm happy to be proven wrong; it's also an interesting concept, so if there's a phrase we'd use to express this, I'd also be keen to know. German employs language differently though, so even though it's graphologically a single word and one noun, it probably isn't.
    – jimsug
    Commented Sep 23, 2014 at 18:32

3 Answers 3

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Do you mean:

  • "Request to learn"? When you ask someone to teach you something, you are making a request to learn that thing.

  • "Wish to learn"? A "wish" is something in your own thoughts. If you "wish to learn" something, you hope that you will understand that thing, and be able to use your understanding.

  • "Desire to learn"? A "desire to learn" is basically the same idea as a "wish to learn".

"A list of skills you want to learn" is pleasant and straight-forward.

A "bucket list" is an informal term that has become popular in the last few years. People use it as a "list of things they want to do before they die". It often includes things they want to learn. The song "Live Like You Were Dying" and the movie The Bucket List popularized the idea.

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  • thanks, Jasper. Imaging you make a list of things/ skills you want to learn. How you would call this list?
    – Felix
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 20:06
  • "A list of skills you want to learn" is a good way of describing it. A professor might write a "syllabus", which is a list of things he plans to teach in a course. A college may have a "course catalog", which lists and describes the courses taught at the college. Each listing in the course catalog will have a list of "prerequisites". A "prerequisite" is something you should know before taking a course.
    – Jasper
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 20:30
  • Syllabus and prerequisites is too academic. I am looking for a word which is more pleasant-natured. Learn request or Learn wish. Which works best for you?
    – Felix
    Commented Sep 22, 2014 at 20:45
  • Google translate says that "curriculum" means lehrplan in German. Apparently, "lehr..." means teaching, and "lern..." means learning. What is the difference between lernplan and lernwunsch? translate.google.com/#en/de/Curriculum
    – Jasper
    Commented Sep 23, 2014 at 18:55
  • I just find "bucket list" inappropriate for this list.
    – user6951
    Commented Sep 24, 2014 at 19:54
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A list of things one desires are "desiderata". (From the Latin, "desideratum", a desired thing. "Desirderata" is the plural.)

Somewhat unfortunately, the one use of the term most people know is that it is the title of a famous poem. That association is so strong, it may make this use unsuitable to you.

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Goals

Another option is

Things I want to learn

And you know, pleasant is in the ears of the behearer...

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