Whether it is a child or an adult, anyone who is learning a new language first acquires sounds and vocabulary and then the sentence patterns and structures. However, a formal learning process will be provided to him only in a formal setting like a school. Unlike in learning, in language acquisition, the children acquire words and sentence structures without any kind of formal or informal instruction.

The acquisition is the non-conscious assimilation of a language mainly through first-hand exposure, while learning involves acquiring a language through formal instruction and conscious comprehension.