Apprendre is the verb to learn — and also, surprisingly, to teach. The two meanings live in the same word, distinguished only by syntax: with one object, apprendre means learn; with two objects (something + à someone), it means teach. J'apprends le français — I'm learning French. J'apprends le français à mon fils — I'm teaching French to my son. Same verb, opposite roles.
This polyvalence is rare cross-linguistically. English, Spanish, Italian, German all split learn and teach into distinct verbs. French sees both as a single act of knowledge transfer, with the preposition à marking the recipient. Apprendre also belongs to the prendre family — same conjugation as prendre, with the three-stem alternation (apprend- / appren- / apprenn-) in the present, the appris past participle, and the split-stem subjunctive.
The simple tenses
Apprendre shares its conjugation entirely with prendre. If you know prendre, you already know apprendre — just add the prefix ap-.
Présent de l'indicatif
Three-stem alternation: nasal /ɑ̃/ in the singular, schwa /ə/ + single n in 1pl/2pl, denasalized /ɛn/ with double n in 3pl.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | apprends | /ʒapʁɑ̃/ |
| tu | apprends | /ty apʁɑ̃/ |
| il / elle / on | apprend | /i.la.pʁɑ̃/ |
| nous | apprenons | /nu.za.pʁə.nɔ̃/ |
| vous | apprenez | /vu.za.pʁə.ne/ |
| ils / elles | apprennent | /il.za.pʁɛn/ |
Notice the elision j'apprends and the obligatory liaisons in nous apprenons, vous apprenez, ils apprennent — the -s of the pronoun pronounced /z/ before the vowel. The double n of apprennent /apʁɛn/ is the spelling clue that the vowel is no longer nasal — compare apprend /apʁɑ̃/ (one n, nasal) with apprennent /apʁɛn/ (two n's, oral).
J'apprends le français depuis trois ans, mais je galère encore avec le subjonctif.
I've been learning French for three years, but I'm still struggling with the subjunctive.
Vous apprenez vite, c'est impressionnant.
You learn quickly, it's impressive.
Les enfants apprennent par imitation, surtout à cet âge-là.
Children learn by imitation, especially at that age.
Imparfait
Built on the plural stem appren- (the nous apprenons stem) plus regular imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | apprenais |
| tu | apprenais |
| il / elle / on | apprenait |
| nous | apprenions |
| vous | appreniez |
| ils / elles | apprenaient |
The imparfait is the natural tense for habitual or ongoing learning in the past — à l'école, on apprenait par cœur (at school, we used to memorize things).
Quand j'étais petit, j'apprenais le piano avec ma grand-mère.
When I was little, I was learning piano with my grandmother.
On apprenait l'anglais à partir de la sixième, à l'époque.
We started learning English in sixth grade, back then.
Passé simple (literary)
Stem appri- with the same -i- pattern as prendre. Restricted to literary writing.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | appris |
| tu | appris |
| il / elle / on | apprit |
| nous | apprîmes |
| vous | apprîtes |
| ils / elles | apprirent |
Il apprit la nouvelle par un télégramme reçu ce matin-là.
He learned the news through a telegram received that very morning. (literary)
Futur simple
Stem apprendr- (infinitive minus -e) with regular futur endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | apprendrai |
| tu | apprendras |
| il / elle / on | apprendra |
| nous | apprendrons |
| vous | apprendrez |
| ils / elles | apprendront |
Tu apprendras à le connaître avec le temps, il est plus gentil qu'il n'en a l'air.
You'll come to know him over time, he's nicer than he seems.
J'apprendrai l'italien après avoir fini avec l'espagnol.
I'll learn Italian after I'm done with Spanish.
Conditionnel présent
Same apprendr- stem with imparfait endings.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| j' | apprendrais |
| tu | apprendrais |
| il / elle / on | apprendrait |
| nous | apprendrions |
| vous | apprendriez |
| ils / elles | apprendraient |
Si j'avais le temps, j'apprendrais à jouer du piano.
If I had the time, I'd learn to play piano.
Subjonctif présent
Two stems: apprenn- (singular and 3pl) and appren- (1pl, 2pl). This split-stem subjunctive mirrors the indicative pattern.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (que) j' | apprenne |
| (que) tu | apprennes |
| (qu')il / elle / on | apprenne |
| (que) nous | apprenions |
| (que) vous | appreniez |
| (qu')ils / elles | apprennent |
The 1pl/2pl forms (apprenions, appreniez) are spelled identically to the imparfait — context distinguishes them. The double n in apprenne, apprennes, apprenne, apprennent is the diagnostic spelling cue for the subjunctive form.
Il faut que tu apprennes tes verbes irréguliers avant l'examen.
You need to learn your irregular verbs before the exam.
Je voudrais qu'il apprenne à mieux gérer son temps.
I'd like him to learn to manage his time better.
Impératif
Three forms, derived from the indicative present (the tu form keeps its -s — apprends, not apprend, because the verb is not in the -er class).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| (tu) | apprends |
| (nous) | apprenons |
| (vous) | apprenez |
Apprends d'abord les bases, le reste viendra.
Learn the basics first, the rest will come.
Apprenez à dire non, c'est essentiel.
Learn to say no, it's essential.
Participles and gérondif
- Participe passé: appris (agrees with preceding direct object when avoir is auxiliary)
- Participe présent: apprenant
- Gérondif: en apprenant
Les leçons que j'ai apprises à l'école me servent encore aujourd'hui.
The lessons I learned at school still serve me today. (note feminine plural agreement: apprises)
C'est en faisant des erreurs qu'on apprend, en apprenant qu'on s'améliore.
It's by making mistakes that you learn, by learning that you improve.
The compound tenses
Apprendre uses avoir as its auxiliary throughout.
Passé composé
avoir (présent) + appris
| Person | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| j' | ai appris | I learned / I have learned |
| tu | as appris | you learned |
| il / elle / on | a appris | he/she/we learned |
| nous | avons appris | we learned |
| vous | avez appris | you learned |
| ils / elles | ont appris | they learned |
J'ai appris ça à mes dépens — ne jamais signer un contrat sans le lire.
I learned that the hard way — never sign a contract without reading it.
Tu as appris la nouvelle ? Marie est enceinte !
Did you hear the news? Marie is pregnant!
The second example shows a frequent specialization of apprendre: in the passé composé followed by la nouvelle or que + clause, it usually means to find out, to hear (a piece of news) — not "to learn" in the educational sense.
Plus-que-parfait
avoir (imparfait) + appris
J'avais appris le poème par cœur, mais le jour J, j'ai tout oublié.
I had memorized the poem, but on the day, I forgot everything.
Futur antérieur
avoir (futur) + appris
Quand tu auras appris à conduire, on partira en road-trip.
Once you've learned to drive, we'll go on a road trip.
Conditionnel passé
avoir (conditionnel) + appris
Sans son aide, je n'aurais jamais appris à nager.
Without his help, I would never have learned to swim.
The semantic core: learn AND teach
This is where apprendre gets interesting — and where English speakers most often go wrong. The same verb covers both directions of knowledge transfer. Which meaning you get depends entirely on the number and type of objects.
Apprendre quelque chose — to learn something
With a single direct object (the thing being learned), apprendre means to learn.
J'apprends le japonais cette année.
I'm learning Japanese this year.
Elle a appris la guitare toute seule, en regardant des vidéos.
She learned guitar all by herself, watching videos.
On apprend beaucoup en voyageant.
You learn a lot by traveling.
Apprendre quelque chose à quelqu'un — to teach something to someone
Add an indirect object marked by à (the recipient), and the verb flips to teach.
J'apprends le français à mon fils.
I'm teaching my son French. (literally: I'm teaching French to my son)
Mon père m'a appris à pêcher quand j'avais huit ans.
My father taught me to fish when I was eight.
Cette expérience nous a appris la patience.
This experience taught us patience.
The same construction works with the indirect-object pronouns me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur: il m'a appris à conduire (he taught me to drive), elle leur apprend l'anglais (she's teaching them English).
Qui t'a appris à faire ça ?
Who taught you to do that?
On lui a appris les bonnes manières.
They taught him good manners.
Note: French also has enseigner
For unambiguous "teach," especially in professional contexts, French has the separate verb enseigner (to teach). Il enseigne les mathématiques au lycée — he teaches math at the high school. Enseigner is more common in formal/school contexts; apprendre + à + person dominates in everyday speech.
Elle enseigne l'histoire dans un lycée parisien.
She teaches history at a Parisian high school.
Mon grand-père m'a appris à faire du vélo.
My grandfather taught me to ride a bike.
Apprendre à + infinitive — to learn (or teach) to do something
When followed by an infinitive, apprendre takes the preposition à. With one subject, it means learn to do; with the à qqn added, teach to do.
J'apprends à cuisiner — c'est plus dur que je pensais.
I'm learning to cook — it's harder than I thought.
Elle a appris à parler français en six mois.
She learned to speak French in six months.
Mon oncle m'a appris à conduire dans un parking vide.
My uncle taught me to drive in an empty parking lot.
On apprend aux enfants à dire merci.
We teach children to say thank you.
The preposition à before the infinitive is mandatory and never drops. J'apprends cuisiner is wrong — it must be j'apprends à cuisiner.
Apprendre que — to find out / hear that
When followed by a que-clause, apprendre generally means to find out, to hear, to learn (in the sense of becoming informed). It is not used in the educational sense here.
J'ai appris que tu déménageais à Lyon.
I heard that you're moving to Lyon.
Quand il a appris qu'il avait gagné, il a pleuré.
When he found out he'd won, he cried.
On vient juste d'apprendre la mauvaise nouvelle.
We've just heard the bad news.
After apprendre que, the verb is in the indicative (because apprendre que asserts a fact you have come to know). It does not trigger the subjunctive.
High-frequency idioms
Apprendre par cœur — to memorize
The standard expression for memorization (literally "to learn by heart").
Il faut apprendre cette poésie par cœur pour vendredi.
You have to memorize this poem by Friday.
Apprendre la mort de qqn — to hear of someone's death
A formal-ish collocation, especially in the passé composé.
J'ai appris la mort de mon professeur ce matin — je suis bouleversé.
I learned of my teacher's death this morning — I'm devastated.
Ça lui apprendra ! — That'll teach him! / Serves him right!
A fixed colloquial expression, often used (not always seriously) when someone gets what they deserved.
Il s'est encore brûlé en touchant la casserole — ça lui apprendra ! (informal)
He burned himself touching the pot again — serves him right!
Comparison with English
Three friction points for English speakers:
One verb for learn AND teach. English has learn and teach as separate verbs; French has only apprendre (with enseigner as a more formal alternative for teach). The syntax disambiguates: apprendre qqch = learn; apprendre qqch à qqn = teach.
Mandatory à before infinitive. English learn to swim drops the preposition; French requires apprendre à nager. Same for teach: apprends-moi à nager — the à is non-negotiable.
Apprendre que ≠ learn that (educational). French j'ai appris que Paris est la capitale is informational — "I found out that Paris is the capital." For educational learning of facts, use j'ai appris
- noun.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using apprendre à instead of just apprendre before a noun.
❌ J'apprends à le français.
Wrong — apprendre + noun does NOT take à. The à is only before infinitives or before the recipient.
✅ J'apprends le français.
I'm learning French.
Mistake 2: Forgetting à before the infinitive.
❌ J'apprends nager.
Wrong — apprendre + infinitive requires à.
✅ J'apprends à nager.
I'm learning to swim.
Mistake 3: Misordering objects in the teach construction.
❌ J'apprends mon fils le piano.
Wrong — the recipient is marked with à. The thing taught is the direct object.
✅ J'apprends le piano à mon fils.
I'm teaching my son piano.
Mistake 4: Using enseigner with que-clauses for "to find out."
❌ J'ai enseigné qu'il était malade.
Wrong — enseigner means to teach, not to find out. For receiving news, use apprendre.
✅ J'ai appris qu'il était malade.
I found out he was sick.
Mistake 5: Forgetting past-participle agreement with preceding feminine direct object.
❌ Les langues que j'ai appris.
Wrong — preceding DO 'les langues' (feminine plural) triggers agreement: apprises.
✅ Les langues que j'ai apprises.
The languages I learned.
Key takeaways
Apprendre is the verb to learn and to teach, distinguished only by syntax: with one direct object, you're learning; with a direct object plus à + someone, you're teaching. For unambiguous "teach," French has enseigner; but in everyday speech, apprendre + à + person dominates.
The conjugation is identical to prendre: three-stem present (apprend- / appren- / apprenn-), appris past participle, apprendr- in the futur and conditionnel, apprenn- / appren- split-stem subjunctive. Compound tenses use avoir.
Two structural rules govern apprendre's syntax: the preposition à is mandatory before an infinitive (apprendre à faire); the recipient of teaching is marked by à (apprendre qqch à qqn). The high-frequency idioms — apprendre par cœur (memorize), apprendre une nouvelle (hear news), ça lui apprendra (serves him right) — appear constantly in everyday speech.
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