Aprender Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Aprender (to learn, to acquire knowledge) is one of the most used verbs in Spanish and it is completely regular: it follows the -er verb pattern in every tense, so it is a perfect model verb to learn first.

Indicative Tenses of Aprender

Aprender in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Aprendo español y un poco de francés (I learn Spanish and a little French).

Present tense rules →

Aprender in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer aprendí una palabra nueva (Yesterday I learned a new word).

Preterite rules →

Aprender in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he aprendido mucho en clase (Today I have learned a lot in class).

Present perfect rules →

Aprender in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De niño aprendía rápido los idiomas (As a child I used to learn languages quickly).

Imperfect rules →

Aprender in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando empecé el curso, ya había aprendido lo básico (When I started the course, I had already learned the basics).

Past perfect rules →

Aprender in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: El año que viene aprenderé a programar (Next year I will learn to code).

Future tense rules →

Aprender in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para junio ya habremos aprendido toda la gramática (By June we will have learned all the grammar).

Future perfect rules →

Aprender in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar aprendería otro idioma (If I were you, I would learn another language).

Conditional rules →

Aprender in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría aprendido más si hubiera practicado (I would have learned more if I had practiced).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Aprender

Present Subjunctive of Aprender (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que aprendas a nadar este verano (I want you to learn to swim this summer).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Aprender (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas aprendido la lección (I hope you have learned the lesson).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Aprender (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si aprendieras inglés, conseguirías el trabajo (If you learned English, you would get the job).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Aprender (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras aprendido antes, ahora hablarías mejor (If you had learned earlier, you would speak better now).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Aprender

Affirmative Commands of Aprender (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Aprende de tus errores! (Learn from your mistakes!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Aprender (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No aprendas malas costumbres (Don't pick up bad habits).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Aprender

• Aprender de memoria - to learn by heart, to memorize word for word
• Aprender la lección - to learn one's lesson, to draw a conclusion
• Aprender de los errores - to learn from one's mistakes
• Aprender sobre la marcha - to learn on the go, to learn as you do it