Aprendre means “to learn.” Its conjugation follows aprenc – aprenem – aprenia – aprenguí – aprendré – aprengui – après. The -c / -g- alternation links the first-person present to the velar past and subjunctive, while the future has aprendr- and the participle is irregular après. It has no defective cells: all six persons are used.
The verb can take a direct object (aprendre català, aprendre la lliçó), a clause (aprendre que...), or a + infinitive for acquiring a skill (aprendre a nedar). English also says “learn to swim,” so the pattern feels familiar, but Catalan requires a preposition before the infinitive. (Regional/traditional) de + infinitive, as in aprendre de parlar, is also standard; a + infinitive is the contemporary Central baseline. Catalan further uses pronominal aprendre's for memorizing or mastering a bounded piece of material.
Nonfinite forms
| Form | Catalan | English guide |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | aprendre | to learn |
| Perfect infinitive | haver après | to have learned |
| Gerund | aprenent | learning |
| Perfect gerund | havent après | having learned |
| Participle | après; apresa, apresos, apreses | learned |
In compound tenses the participle is normally invariable: les coses que he après. With a preceding third-person accusative clitic, agreement is also standard and is especially maintained in formal and agreement-preserving regional usage: les cançons, ja les hem apreses. It also agrees when adjectival or passive: una habilitat apresa; uns hàbits apresos. Masculine singular après carries a grave accent; apresos does not, because ordinary spelling rules already locate the stress.
Indicative: simple and periphrastic tenses
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | aprenc | aprens | aprèn | aprenem | apreneu | aprenen |
| Imperfect | aprenia | aprenies | aprenia | apreníem | apreníeu | aprenien |
| Periphrastic past | vaig aprendre | vas aprendre | va aprendre | vam aprendre | vau aprendre | van aprendre |
| Simple past | aprenguí | aprengueres | aprengué | aprenguérem | aprenguéreu | aprengueren |
| Future | aprendré | aprendràs | aprendrà | aprendrem | aprendreu | aprendran |
| Conditional | aprendria | aprendries | aprendria | aprendríem | aprendríeu | aprendrien |
The present singular has aprenc, aprens, aprèn, not an incoative series. The periphrastic past is the unmarked spoken past. The simple past is standard but chiefly (formal/literary) in Central Catalan, with more regional spoken vitality. Future and conditional return to aprendr-, without g.
Aprenc català perquè la família de la meva parella el parla a casa.
I'm learning Catalan because my partner's family speaks it at home.
A l'institut apreníem els poemes de memòria i els recitàvem a classe.
At secondary school we used to learn the poems by heart and recite them in class.
L'any passat vam aprendre a fer pa amb massa mare.
Last year we learned to make sourdough bread.
Amb pràctica aprendràs a distingir aquests dos sons.
With practice you'll learn to distinguish these two sounds.
Compound indicative
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present perfect | he après | has après | ha après | hem après | heu après | han après |
| Pluperfect | havia après | havies après | havia après | havíem après | havíeu après | havien après |
| Past anterior | haguí après | hagueres après | hagué après | haguérem après | haguéreu après | hagueren après |
| Future perfect | hauré après | hauràs après | haurà après | haurem après | haureu après | hauran après |
| Conditional perfect | hauria après | hauries après | hauria après | hauríem après | hauríeu après | haurien après |
The past anterior is (literary). The periphrastic anterior—vaig haver après, vas haver après, va haver après, vam haver après, vau haver après, van haver après—also exists but is restricted. Everyday speakers normally express the relevant sequence with the pluperfect or ordinary periphrastic past.
En aquests mesos he après molt dels companys més veterans.
Over these months I've learned a lot from the more experienced colleagues.
Abans del viatge ja havíem après les frases més necessàries.
Before the trip we had already learned the most necessary phrases.
Subjunctive: simple and compound tenses
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | aprengui | aprenguis | aprengui | aprenguem | aprengueu | aprenguin |
| Imperfect | aprengués | aprenguessis | aprengués | aprenguéssim | aprenguéssiu | aprenguessin |
| Present perfect | hagi après | hagis après | hagi après | hàgim après | hàgiu après | hagin après |
| Pluperfect | hagués après | haguessis après | hagués après | haguéssim après | haguéssiu après | haguessin après |
(Regional: Valencian) uses standard present forms aprenga, aprengues, aprenga, aprenguem, aprengueu, aprenguen and commonly the -ra imperfect aprenguera, aprengueres, aprenguera, aprenguérem, aprenguéreu, aprengueren. The Central forms are the main table's baseline; Balearic, Northwestern and Northern varieties have their own regular regional realizations.
La tutora vol que aprenguem a revisar la feina abans de lliurar-la.
The tutor wants us to learn to check our work before handing it in.
Si hagués après a dir que no, ara no estaria tan saturat.
If he had learned to say no, he wouldn't be so overwhelmed now.
For completeness, restricted (regional/formal) periphrastic subjunctive forms are vagi aprendre, vagis aprendre, vagi aprendre, vàgim aprendre, vàgiu aprendre, vagin aprendre. The anterior is vagi haver après, vagis haver après, vagi haver après, vàgim haver après, vàgiu haver après, vagin haver après. Everyday speakers normally choose aprengués or hagués après.
Imperative and clitics
| Addressee | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | aprèn | no aprenguis |
| vostè | aprengui | no aprengui |
| nosaltres | aprenguem | no aprenguem |
| vosaltres | apreneu | no aprengueu |
| vostès | aprenguin | no aprenguin |
Affirmative commands attach clitics (aprèn-te'l), while negative commands place them before the verb (no te l'aprenguis). This follows the general imperative pronoun pattern. The accent in singular aprèn is obligatory and distinguishes its stressed vowel.
Aprèn-te aquest número abans que ens quedem sense bateria.
Memorize this number before our battery runs out.
No us aprengueu només la definició; intenteu entendre l'exemple.
Don't learn only the definition by heart; try to understand the example.
Complements and the difference from ensenyar
Use aprendre + noun for knowledge or content, aprendre a + infinitive for a skill, and aprendre de + person/experience for a source or lesson. Pronominal aprendre's presents material as deliberately memorized or mastered: aprendre's un paper, una cançó, els noms. It is not a reflexive replacement for every use of aprendre.
La canalla aprèn observant com treballen els adults.
Children learn by observing how adults work.
Hem d'aprendre dels errors sense quedar-nos atrapats en la culpa.
We need to learn from mistakes without getting trapped in guilt.
L'actriu es va aprendre tot el monòleg en dos dies.
The actress learned the entire monologue by heart in two days.
English distinguishes “learn” from “teach,” and Catalan does too: aprendre is what the learner does; ensenyar is what the teacher does. Some historical or regional usages can differ, but contemporary standard expository language should keep this contrast clear. A student aprèn francès; a teacher ensenya francès.
Common Mistakes
❌ La meva germana apreneix japonès des del setembre.
Incorrect—aprendre does not take the incoative extension.
✅ La meva germana aprèn japonès des del setembre.
My sister has been learning Japanese since September.
❌ Volem que apreneu a orientar-vos amb un mapa.
Incorrect in this desired subordinate event; use the subjunctive aprengueu.
✅ Volem que aprengueu a orientar-vos amb un mapa.
We want you to learn to find your way with a map.
❌ He aprendut més fent pràctiques que llegint manuals.
Incorrect participle—aprendre has après.
✅ He après més fent pràctiques que llegint manuals.
I've learned more through practical training than by reading manuals.
❌ El nen està aprenent anar amb bicicleta.
Incorrect—the skill construction requires a before the infinitive.
✅ El nen està aprenent a anar amb bicicleta.
The child is learning to ride a bicycle.
❌ La professora aprèn matemàtiques als alumnes.
Incorrect for 'teaches'; use ensenya, because the pupils are the learners.
✅ La professora ensenya matemàtiques als alumnes.
The teacher teaches mathematics to the pupils.
Key Takeaways
Build aprendre from aprenc, aprenem, aprengui, aprendré, and après. Use a direct object for content, a + infinitive for skills, and de for a source. Reserve aprendre's for bounded material learned deliberately, and use ensenyar—not aprendre—for “teach.”
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