Why Aprender Is More Than "To Learn"
Aprender is the verb of every learner, and it comes with small words that matter: a before an infinitive, de before a source, and the reflexive aprenderse for memorizing. It is regular, which is one thing less to worry about.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will talk about your own progress without translating word by word.
Pattern 1: Aprender a + infinitive — "To learn to…"
The pattern you will use most. After aprender, a following verb needs the little a. Add estoy aprendiendo a for what you are learning right now.
- Estoy aprendiendo a cocinar. — I'm learning to cook.
- Aprendí a nadar de niño. — I learned to swim as a child.
- Quiero aprender a tocar la guitarra. — I want to learn to play the guitar.
Chunk to learn:
Aprender a + [infinitive] / Estoy aprendiendo a + [infinitive]
Pattern 2: Aprenderse de memoria — "To memorize"
With the reflexive aprenderse, you learn something fully, usually text, lyrics, or numbers. Add de memoria to stress learning it by heart. For more on the reflexive pattern, see Reflexive Verbs Chunks.
- Me aprendí la canción de memoria. — I memorized the song.
- ¿Te sabes el número de memoria? — Do you know the number by heart?
- Tengo que aprenderme estas frases. — I have to learn these phrases by heart.
Chunk to learn:
Aprenderse + [thing] + de memoria
Pattern 3: Aprender de los errores — "To learn from mistakes"
Use aprender de for the source of the lesson: a mistake, a person, an experience. It is a favorite of advice, proverbs, and motivational talk.
- Hay que aprender de los errores. — You have to learn from mistakes.
- Aprendo mucho de mis alumnos. — I learn a lot from my students.
- Aprendió de la experiencia. — She learned from the experience.
Chunk to learn:
Aprender de + [errores / experiencia / person]
Pattern 4: Aprendí que… — "I learned that…"
To share a lesson, use the preterite aprendí plus que. It turns a story into a moral and works in conversations about life. For the tense, see Preterite vs. Imperfect Chunks.
- Aprendí que no se puede agradar a todos. — I learned that you can't please everyone.
- Con los años aprendí a escuchar. — Over the years I learned to listen.
- He aprendido mucho este año. — I've learned a lot this year.
Chunk to learn:
Aprendí que + [lesson] / He aprendido mucho
Pattern 5: Aprender por las malas — "To learn the hard way"
The idiom for lessons that come through trouble. Its opposite is por las buenas, "willingly". It also appears with a base de for learning through repetition.
- Aprendí por las malas. — I learned the hard way.
- Aprendió a base de golpes. — He learned through hard knocks.
- Se aprende a base de práctica. — You learn by practicing a lot.
Chunk to learn:
Aprender por las malas / Aprender a base de + [práctica]
Pattern 6: Siempre se aprende algo — "You always learn something"
A friendly, humble chunk about lifelong learning. The impersonal se makes it a general truth, so it is perfect for teachers, travelers, and anyone who corrects you kindly.
- Siempre se aprende algo nuevo. — You always learn something new.
- Nunca se termina de aprender. — You never finish learning.
- Se aprende hablando. — You learn by speaking.
Chunk to learn:
Siempre se aprende algo / Se aprende + [gerund]
Aprender vs. Estudiar
Estudiar is the effort: Estudio español todas las noches. Aprender is the result: Aprendo español. You can study without learning, but you cannot learn without some effort. For a skill that helps both, see [Leer] Chunks.
Start with aprender a… and siempre se aprende algo. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.