Introduction
Aprender means «to learn». Aprender means to learn: a language, to cook, to drive, a new skill. It is a regular -er verb, and it is followed by a noun (aprender español) or by a + infinitive (aprender a cocinar). It is the verb of progress itself. It is a regular -er verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of aprender in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo aprendo español todos los días.» — I learn Spanish every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | aprender |
| English | to learn |
| Verb type | Regular -er verb |
| Gerund | aprendiendo |
| Past participle | aprendido |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: aprendiendo · Past participle: aprendido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprendo |
| tú | aprendes |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprende |
| nosotros/as | aprendemos |
| vosotros/as | aprendéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprenden |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For aprender, the yo form is aprendo, as in «Yo aprendo» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprendí |
| tú | aprendiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprendió |
| nosotros/as | aprendimos |
| vosotros/as | aprendisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprendieron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo aprendí» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprendía |
| tú | aprendías |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprendía |
| nosotros/as | aprendíamos |
| vosotros/as | aprendíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprendían |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo aprendía» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprenderé |
| tú | aprenderás |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprenderá |
| nosotros/as | aprenderemos |
| vosotros/as | aprenderéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprenderán |
The future tense states what will happen. For aprender the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo aprenderé». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprendería |
| tú | aprenderías |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprendería |
| nosotros/as | aprenderíamos |
| vosotros/as | aprenderíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprenderían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo aprendería» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he aprendido |
| tú | has aprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha aprendido |
| nosotros/as | hemos aprendido |
| vosotros/as | habéis aprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han aprendido |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he aprendido». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había aprendido |
| tú | habías aprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había aprendido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos aprendido |
| vosotros/as | habíais aprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían aprendido |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había aprendido». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré aprendido |
| tú | habrás aprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá aprendido |
| nosotros/as | habremos aprendido |
| vosotros/as | habréis aprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán aprendido |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré aprendido» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría aprendido |
| tú | habrías aprendido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría aprendido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos aprendido |
| vosotros/as | habríais aprendido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían aprendido |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría aprendido si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprenda |
| tú | aprendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprenda |
| nosotros/as | aprendamos |
| vosotros/as | aprendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprendan |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él aprenda». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | aprendiera |
| tú | aprendieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprendiera |
| nosotros/as | aprendiéramos |
| vosotros/as | aprendierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprendieran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él aprendiera, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aprende |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprenda |
| nosotros/as | aprendamos |
| vosotros/as | aprended |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprendan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Aprende!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | aprendas |
| él/ella/Ud. | aprenda |
| nosotros/as | aprendamos |
| vosotros/as | aprendáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | aprendan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No aprendas!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo aprendo español todos los días. — I learn Spanish every day.
- Mi hermana aprende español mucho. — My sister learns Spanish a lot.
- Ayer yo aprendí español por la tarde. — Yesterday I learned Spanish in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo aprendía español muchas veces. — As a child, I used to learn Spanish often.
- Mañana yo aprenderé español sin falta. — Tomorrow I will learn Spanish without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo aprendería español ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would learn Spanish right now.
- Hoy yo he aprendido a cocinar dos veces. — Today I have learned to cook twice.
- Espero que él aprenda español pronto. — I hope he learns Spanish soon.
- ¡Aprende esta canción de memoria! — Learn this song by heart!
- Ahora mismo estoy aprendiendo español. — Right now I am learning Spanish.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: aprendi
Right: aprendí
The yo preterite of aprender carries a written accent: aprendí. Without it, aprendi is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo aprendía español.
Right: Ayer yo aprendí español.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, aprendí. The imperfect aprendía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Aprendo español a la escuela.
Right: Aprendo español en la escuela.
Places take en, not a: aprender español en la escuela. The a belongs before an infinitive: aprender a cocinar.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú aprendes español.
Right: Espero que tú aprendas español.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: aprendas, not the indicative aprendes. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No aprende español.
Right: No aprendas español.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no aprendas. The affirmative aprende can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of aprender in the present tense?
- (a) aprende
- (b) aprendemos
- (c) aprendes
- (d) aprendo
2. What is the él/ella form of aprender in the preterite?
- (a) aprendimos
- (b) aprendiste
- (c) aprendió
- (d) aprendí
3. What is the nosotros form of aprender in the imperfect?
- (a) aprendía
- (b) aprendíamos
- (c) aprendías
4. What is the tú form of aprender in the future tense?
- (a) aprenderemos
- (b) aprenderá
- (c) aprenderás
- (d) aprenderé
5. What is the ellos form of aprender in the conditional?
- (a) aprendería
- (b) aprenderían
- (c) aprenderías
6. What is the yo form of aprender in the present perfect?
- (a) ha aprendido
- (b) has aprendido
- (c) he aprendido
- (d) hemos aprendido
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of aprender?
- (a) aprenda
- (b) aprendamos
- (c) aprendas
8. What is the nosotros form of aprender in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) aprendiera
- (b) aprendiéramos
- (c) aprendieras
9. What is the gerund of aprender?
- (a) aprender
- (b) aprendido
- (c) aprendiendo
- (d) aprendo
10. What is the past participle of aprender?
- (a) aprender
- (b) aprendido
- (c) aprendiendo
- (d) aprendí
Answer key
1. (d) aprendo — In the present, the yo form of aprender is aprendo. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (c) aprendió — In the preterite, the el form of aprender is aprendió. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (b) aprendíamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of aprender is aprendíamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) aprenderás — In the future, the tu form of aprender is aprenderás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) aprenderían — In the conditional, the ellos form of aprender is aprenderían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he aprendido — In the present perfect, the yo form of aprender is he aprendido. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) aprendas — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of aprender is aprendas. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) aprendiéramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of aprender is aprendiéramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (c) aprendiendo — The gerund of aprender is aprendiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy aprendiendo».
10. (b) aprendido — The past participle of aprender is aprendido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he aprendido».
Frequently asked questions
Is aprender regular or irregular?
Yes, aprender is a regular -er verb. Every tense follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of aprender?
The gerund is aprendiendo and the past participle is aprendido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy aprendiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he aprendido»).
What is the difference between aprender and estudiar?
Aprender and estudiar are often confused. Estudiar is to study; aprender is to learn — studying is the activity, learning is the result.
How do I say «I learn» in Spanish?
Say «Yo aprendo». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with aprender?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (aprendí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (aprendía) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: aprender-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: aprender-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: estudiar
- Related verb: enseñar
- Related verb: leer
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz