diff --git a/library/algebra/module.lean b/library/algebra/module.lean
index aa46547e7..1f5a5f856 100644
--- a/library/algebra/module.lean
+++ b/library/algebra/module.lean
@@ -66,6 +66,62 @@ section left_module
   by rewrite [sub_eq_add_neg, smul_right_distrib, neg_smul]
 end left_module
 
+/- linear maps -/
+
+structure is_linear_map [class] (R : Type) {M₁ M₂ : Type}
+  [smul₁ : has_scalar R M₁] [smul₂ : has_scalar R M₂]
+  [add₁ : has_add M₁] [add₂ : has_add M₂]
+  (T : M₁ → M₂) :=
+(additive : ∀ u v : M₁, T (u + v) = T u + T v)
+(homogeneous : ∀ a : R, ∀ u : M₁, T (a • u) = a • T u)
+
+proposition linear_map_additive (R : Type) {M₁ M₂ : Type}
+    [smul₁ : has_scalar R M₁] [smul₂ : has_scalar R M₂]
+    [add₁ : has_add M₁] [add₂ : has_add M₂]
+    (T : M₁ → M₂) [linT : is_linear_map R T] (u v : M₁) :
+  T (u + v) = T u + T v :=
+is_linear_map.additive smul₁ smul₂ _ _ T u v
+
+proposition linear_map_homogeneous {R M₁ M₂ : Type}
+    [smul₁ : has_scalar R M₁] [smul₂ : has_scalar R M₂]
+    [add₁ : has_add M₁] [add₂ : has_add M₂]
+    (T : M₁ → M₂) [linT : is_linear_map R T] (a : R) (u : M₁) :
+  T (a • u) = a • T u :=
+is_linear_map.homogeneous smul₁ smul₂ _ _ T a u
+
+proposition is_linear_map_id [instance] (R : Type) {M : Type}
+    [smulRM : has_scalar R M] [has_addM : has_add M] :
+  is_linear_map R (id : M → M) :=
+is_linear_map.mk (take u v, rfl) (take a u, rfl)
+
+section is_linear_map
+  variables {R M₁ M₂ : Type}
+  variable  [ringR : ring R]
+  variable  [moduleRM₁ : left_module R M₁]
+  variable  [moduleRM₂ : left_module R M₂]
+  include   ringR moduleRM₁ moduleRM₂
+
+  variable  T : M₁ → M₂
+  variable  [is_linear_mapT : is_linear_map R T]
+  include   is_linear_mapT
+
+  proposition linear_map_zero : T 0 = 0 :=
+  calc
+    T 0 = T ((0 : R) • 0) : zero_smul
+    ... = (0 : R) • T 0   : linear_map_homogeneous T
+    ... = 0               : zero_smul
+
+  proposition linear_map_neg (u : M₁) : T (-u) = -(T u) :=
+  by rewrite [-neg_one_smul, linear_map_homogeneous T, neg_one_smul]
+
+  proposition linear_map_smul_add_smul (a b : R) (u v : M₁) :
+    T (a • u + b • v) = a • T u + b • T v :=
+  by rewrite [linear_map_additive R T, *linear_map_homogeneous T]
+
+  proposition linear_map_sub (u v : M₁) : T (u - v) = T u - T v :=
+  by rewrite [*sub_eq_add_neg, linear_map_additive R T, linear_map_neg]
+end is_linear_map
+
 /- vector spaces -/
 
 structure vector_space [class] (F V : Type) [fieldF : field F]