Aprender Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

aprender — to learn — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to learn, and it is completely regular: aprendo, aprendes, aprende, aprendemos, aprendeis, aprendem. It is the verb for learning a language, a skill or a subject. On this page you will find aprender in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the aprender conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the aprender present tense page.

Example sentences with aprender

In the present tense

  • “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.” — “I learn Portuguese”
  • “Tu aprendes português todos os dias.” — “You learn Portuguese”
  • “Ele aprende português todos os dias.” — “He learns Portuguese”
  • “Nós aprendemos português todos os dias.” — “We learn Portuguese”
  • “Vós aprendeis português todos os dias.” — “You learn Portuguese”
  • “Eles aprendem português todos os dias.” — “They learn Portuguese”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu aprendi português ontem.” — “I learned Portuguese”
  • “Tu aprendeste português ontem.” — “You learned Portuguese”
  • “Ele aprendeu português ontem.” — “He learned Portuguese”
  • “Nós aprendemos português ontem.” — “We learned Portuguese”
  • “Vós aprendestes português ontem.” — “You learned Portuguese”
  • “Eles aprenderam português ontem.” — “They learned Portuguese”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu aprendia português antigamente.” — “I used to learn Portuguese”
  • “Tu aprenderás português amanhã.” — “You will learn Portuguese”
  • “Ele aprenderia português um dia.” — “He would learn Portuguese”
  • “É importante que nós aprendamos português.” — “It is important that we learn Portuguese”
  • “Aprende português!” — “Learn Portuguese!”

How aprender is used

The first thing to know about aprender is its core meaning: to learn. It means to learn, and it is completely regular: aprendo, aprendes, aprende, aprendemos, aprendeis, aprendem. It is the verb for learning a language, a skill or a subject. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company aprender keeps. The present eu form is aprendo, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho aprendido, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what aprender does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need aprendo, never aprender. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho aprendido, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle aprendido is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Aprender in context

Eu aprendo português todos os dias. Tu aprendes português todos os dias. Ele aprende português todos os dias. Nós aprendemos português todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of aprender is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — aprendo, aprendes, aprende, aprendemos — while the meaning stays the same: to learn. Eu aprendi português ontem. Tu aprendeste português ontem. Ele aprendeu português ontem. Nós aprendemos português ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of aprender appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to learn — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu aprender português.”

✓ Right: “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.”

The infinitive aprender never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form aprendo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu aprendes português.”

✓ Right: “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.”

aprendes is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is aprendo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu aprendo português ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu aprendi português ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito aprendi here, not the present aprendo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou aprendido português.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho aprendido português esta semana.”

aprender takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho aprendido — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on aprender across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of aprender in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) aprendo
    • B) aprendes
    • C) aprende
    • D) aprendemos

  2. What is the eu form of aprender in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens aprendido
    • B) tem aprendido
    • C) tenho aprendido
    • D) temos aprendido

  3. What is the ele/ela form of aprender in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) aprendias
    • B) aprendíamos
    • C) aprendíeis
    • D) aprendia

  4. What is the nós form of aprender in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) aprenderemos
    • B) aprenderei
    • C) aprenderás
    • D) aprenderá

  5. What is the tu form of aprender in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) aprenderia
    • B) aprenderias
    • C) aprenderíamos
    • D) aprenderíeis

  6. What is the eu form of aprender in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) aprenderas
    • B) aprendéramos
    • C) aprendera
    • D) aprendéreis

  7. What is the nós form of aprender in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) aprenda
    • B) aprendas
    • C) aprendais
    • D) aprendamos

  8. What is the gerund of aprender?

    • A) aprendendo
    • B) aprendido
    • C) aprender
    • D) aprendo

  9. What is the past participle of aprender?

    • A) aprendendo
    • B) aprendido
    • C) aprender
    • D) aprendo

  10. What does aprender mean in English?

  • A) to be
  • B) to have
  • C) to learn
  • D) —

Answer key

  1. B) aprendes — the correct form is aprendes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho aprendido — the correct form is tenho aprendido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) aprendia — the correct form is aprendia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) aprenderemos — the correct form is aprenderemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) aprenderias — the correct form is aprenderias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) aprendera — the correct form is aprendera. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) aprendamos — the correct form is aprendamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) aprendendo — the correct form is aprendendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) aprendido — the correct form is aprendido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to learn — the correct form is to learn. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does aprender mean in English?

aprender means “to learn”. You use it whenever you talk about to learn in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is aprender regular or irregular?

aprender is regular. aprender is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of aprender?

The gerund is aprendendo and the past participle is aprendido. The perfect tenses use ter + aprendido.

Where can I see the full conjugation of aprender?

On the aprender conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The aprender present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aprender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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