Aprender Conjugation in Portuguese
aprender means “to learn” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 26 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of aprender — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.” — “I learn Portuguese.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: aprender
- English: to learn
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: aprendendo
- Present participle: aprendente
- Past participle: aprendido
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -er verbs; pattern er in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read aprender in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about aprender
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -er pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle aprendido. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is aprendendo, the present participle is aprendente and the past participle is aprendido: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for aprender. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprendo |
| tu | aprendes |
| ele/ela | aprende |
| nós | aprendemos |
| vós | aprendeis |
| eles/elas | aprendem |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.” — “I learn Portuguese”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprendi |
| tu | aprendeste |
| ele/ela | aprendeu |
| nós | aprendemos |
| vós | aprendestes |
| eles/elas | aprenderam |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu aprendi português ontem.” — “I learned Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprendia |
| tu | aprendias |
| ele/ela | aprendia |
| nós | aprendíamos |
| vós | aprendíeis |
| eles/elas | aprendiam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu aprendia português antigamente.” — “I used to learn Portuguese”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprendera |
| tu | aprenderas |
| ele/ela | aprendera |
| nós | aprendéramos |
| vós | aprendéreis |
| eles/elas | aprenderam |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu aprendera português antes do jantar.” — “I had learned Portuguese”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprenderei |
| tu | aprenderás |
| ele/ela | aprenderá |
| nós | aprenderemos |
| vós | aprendereis |
| eles/elas | aprenderão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu aprenderei português amanhã.” — “I will learn Portuguese”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprenderia |
| tu | aprenderias |
| ele/ela | aprenderia |
| nós | aprenderíamos |
| vós | aprenderíeis |
| eles/elas | aprenderiam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu aprenderia português um dia.” — “I would learn Portuguese”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho aprendido |
| tu | tens aprendido |
| ele/ela | tem aprendido |
| nós | temos aprendido |
| vós | tendes aprendido |
| eles/elas | têm aprendido |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem aprendido português esta semana.” — “He has learned Portuguese”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha aprendido |
| tu | tinhas aprendido |
| ele/ela | tinha aprendido |
| nós | tínhamos aprendido |
| vós | tínheis aprendido |
| eles/elas | tinham aprendido |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha aprendido português antes do jantar.” — “I had learned Portuguese”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei aprendido |
| tu | terás aprendido |
| ele/ela | terá aprendido |
| nós | teremos aprendido |
| vós | tereis aprendido |
| eles/elas | terão aprendido |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei aprendido português até amanhã.” — “I will have learned Portuguese”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria aprendido |
| tu | terias aprendido |
| ele/ela | teria aprendido |
| nós | teríamos aprendido |
| vós | teríeis aprendido |
| eles/elas | teriam aprendido |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria aprendido português ontem.” — “I would have learned Portuguese”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprenda |
| tu | aprendas |
| ele/ela | aprenda |
| nós | aprendamos |
| vós | aprendais |
| eles/elas | aprendam |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu aprenda português.” — “It is important that I learn Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprendesse |
| tu | aprendesses |
| ele/ela | aprendesse |
| nós | aprendêssemos |
| vós | aprendêsseis |
| eles/elas | aprendessem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu aprendesse português.” — “It was important that I learn Portuguese”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aprender |
| tu | aprenderes |
| ele/ela | aprender |
| nós | aprendermos |
| vós | aprenderdes |
| eles/elas | aprenderem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu aprender português, é bom.” — “If I learn Portuguese, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | aprende |
| ele/ela | aprenda |
| nós | aprendamos |
| vós | aprendei |
| eles/elas | aprendam |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Aprende português!” — “Learn Portuguese!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não aprendas |
| ele/ela | não aprenda |
| nós | não aprendamos |
| vós | não aprendais |
| eles/elas | não aprendam |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não aprendas português.” — “Do not learn Portuguese.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha aprendido |
| tu | tenhas aprendido |
| ele/ela | tenha aprendido |
| nós | tenhamos aprendido |
| vós | tenhais aprendido |
| eles/elas | tenham aprendido |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha aprendido português.” — “It is important that I have learned Portuguese”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse aprendido |
| tu | tivesses aprendido |
| ele/ela | tivesse aprendido |
| nós | tivéssemos aprendido |
| vós | tivésseis aprendido |
| eles/elas | tivessem aprendido |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse aprendido português.” — “It was important that I had learned Portuguese”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver aprendido |
| tu | tiveres aprendido |
| ele/ela | tiver aprendido |
| nós | tivermos aprendido |
| vós | tiverdes aprendido |
| eles/elas | tiverem aprendido |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver aprendido português, é bom.” — “If I have learned Portuguese, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | aprendendo |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Aprendendo português, aprendo muito.” — “While learning Portuguese, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | aprendente |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle aprendente is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet aprendente more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | aprendido |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho aprendido português esta semana.” — “I have learned Portuguese.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with aprender, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.” — “I learn Portuguese”
- “Tu aprendeste português ontem.” — “You learned Portuguese”
- “Ele aprendia português antigamente.” — “He used to learn Portuguese”
- “Eu aprenderei português amanhã.” — “I will learn Portuguese”
- “Tu aprenderias português um dia.” — “You would learn Portuguese”
- “Ele tem aprendido português esta semana.” — “He has learned Portuguese”
- “Eu tinha aprendido português antes do jantar.” — “I had learned Portuguese”
- “Tu terás aprendido português até amanhã.” — “You will have learned Portuguese”
- “É importante que eu aprenda português.” — “It is important that I learn Portuguese”
- “Aprende português!” — “Learn Portuguese!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu aprendes português.”
✓ Right: “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.”
aprendes is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with aprendo.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito aprendi for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou aprendido português.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho aprendido português esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of aprender is formed with ter plus the past participle aprendido: the eu form is tenho aprendido. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu aprendo português.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu aprenda português.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use aprenda here, not the indicative aprendo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho aprendendo português.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho aprendido português esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle aprendido, not the gerund aprendendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on aprender. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of aprender in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) aprendes
- B) aprendo
- C) aprende
- D) aprendemos
What is the ele/ela form of aprender in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) aprendi
- B) aprendeste
- C) aprendeu
- D) aprendemos
What is the nós form of aprender in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) aprendia
- B) aprendias
- C) aprendíeis
- D) aprendíamos
What is the tu form of aprender in the Futuro do presente?
- A) aprenderás
- B) aprenderei
- C) aprenderá
- D) aprenderemos
What is the eu form of aprender in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) aprenderias
- B) aprenderia
- C) aprenderíamos
- D) aprenderíeis
What is the ele/ela form of aprender in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho aprendido
- B) tens aprendido
- C) tem aprendido
- D) temos aprendido
What is the ele/ela form of aprender in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) aprendas
- B) aprendamos
- C) aprendais
- D) aprenda
What is the eu form of aprender in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) aprendesse
- B) aprendesses
- C) aprendêssemos
- D) aprendêsseis
What is the gerund of aprender?
- A) aprendido
- B) aprendendo
- C) aprender
- D) aprendo
What does aprender mean in English?
- A) to be
- B) to have
- C) to learn
- D) —
Answer key
- B) aprendo — the correct form is aprendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) aprendeu — the correct form is aprendeu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) aprendíamos — the correct form is aprendíamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) aprenderás — the correct form is aprenderás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) aprenderia — the correct form is aprenderia. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem aprendido — the correct form is tem aprendido. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) aprenda — the correct form is aprenda. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) aprendesse — the correct form is aprendesse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) aprendendo — the correct form is aprendendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is aprender regular or irregular?
aprender is regular: it follows the ordinary -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is aprendendo and the past participle is aprendido.
What are the gerund and past participle of aprender?
The gerund is aprendendo — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is aprendido — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho aprendido.
Which auxiliary does aprender take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
aprender takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho aprendido. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle aprendido.
How do I say “I learn” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu aprendo português todos os dias.” — “I learn Portuguese” The eu form of the present is aprendo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of aprender — every tense of aprender in one place.
- Aprender in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Aprender examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Ser conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Ter conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise aprender with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise aprender with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise aprender with the interactive tool.