Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco. - We are gradually learning Spanish together.

aprendemos = we learn / we are learning (plain statement, can be habitual or present).
vamos aprendiendo = we’re learning little by little / we keep on learning / we’re making progress (emphasizes a process and gradual progress).

So the ir + gerund structure adds the idea of step‑by‑step advancement, which fits very well with poco a poco.

Why is vamos used instead of estamos (as in estamos aprendiendo)? Do they mean the same thing?

They are similar but not the same:

estamos aprendiendo español = we are learning Spanish (right now / at this period; neutral progressive).
vamos aprendiendo español = we are gradually learning Spanish / we’re making progress learning Spanish (focus on the gradual advance over time).

Both talk about an ongoing action, but:

estar + gerund highlights that something is in progress.
ir + gerund highlights that something is progressing step by step, moving forward.

In this sentence, vamos aprendiendo plus poco a poco gives a strong feeling of slow but steady progress.

Is vamos aprendiendo about the present or the future? Does it mean we are going to learn?

Here it refers to the present, not the future.

vamos aprendiendo español = we’re (now) gradually learning Spanish.
vamos a aprender español = we’re going to learn Spanish (future intention or plan).

The key difference:

vamos aprendiendo = ir (vamos) + gerund (aprendiendo) → ongoing process now.
vamos a aprender = ir (vamos) + a + infinitive (aprender) → future plan.

So this sentence is about what is happening over time now, not a plan for later.

How is vamos aprendiendo different from vamos a aprender in meaning and use?

vamos aprendiendo español
- Structure: ir + gerund
- Meaning: We’re in the process of learning Spanish; we’re making progress.
- Time: Present, but seen as an ongoing, developing process.
vamos a aprender español
- Structure: ir + a + infinitive
- Meaning: We are going to learn Spanish (we intend to / will do it in the future).
- Time: Future or near future.

So:

Use vamos aprendiendo when you want to emphasize current, gradual progress.
Use vamos a aprender when you want to talk about a plan or prediction for the future.

Why isn’t nosotros used? Could I say Nosotros vamos aprendiendo…?

Spanish normally drops subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, nosotros…) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

vamos clearly shows we (nosotros).
So nosotros is optional and usually left out unless you want to emphasize we (as opposed to someone else).

You can say:

Nosotros vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco.

That is correct, but in everyday Spanish it often sounds more natural and less heavy to just say:

Vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco.

What exactly does poco a poco mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

poco a poco literally means little by little.

Use: It expresses that something happens gradually, step by step, not fast or suddenly.

Common positions:

At the end (most natural here):
Vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco.
At the beginning (a bit more emphatic):
Poco a poco, vamos aprendiendo español juntos.

In this sentence, having poco a poco at the end is very typical and sounds very natural in Latin American Spanish.

What does juntos add to the sentence, and where can it be placed?

juntos means together and indicates that the people included in “we” are doing the action jointly.

It adds the idea of learning with each other, not separately.

Common, natural placements:

After the object (as in your sentence):
Vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco.
Or right after the verb phrase:
Vamos aprendiendo juntos español poco a poco.

Both are understandable. The most usual, natural word order is:

[Verb] + [object] + juntos

So vamos aprendiendo español juntos sounds very natural.

Note: juntos is masculine plural by default. It’s used for mixed groups or groups of males. If it was a group of only women, many speakers would say juntas.

Could I say Vamos aprendiendo el español instead of Vamos aprendiendo español? What’s the difference?

You can say el español, but in this context most speakers would simply say español.

General pattern (especially in Latin America):

After verbs like aprender, estudiar, hablar, enseñar, saber, the article is often omitted when talking about languages:
- Aprendemos español.
- Estudio francés.
- Hablo inglés.

Using the article el can sound a bit more like you’re talking about the language as an object or concept:

Vamos aprendiendo el español can feel a bit more formal or emphasize the language itself as a subject of study.

In everyday speech about learning a language, Vamos aprendiendo español is the most natural choice.

Why is the order español juntos and not juntos español?

Spanish word order is more flexible than English, but there are more natural patterns.

With this kind of sentence, the most common pattern is:

Verb + direct object + adverb-like word (such as juntos)

So:

Vamos aprendiendo español juntos
feels very natural.

You could say:

Vamos aprendiendo juntos español,
and it would still be understandable, but it sounds a bit less standard and might feel slightly marked or emphatic.

Keeping español right after the verb phrase and then juntos at the end is the smoothest word order for everyday speech.

Can I change it to the singular and say Voy aprendiendo español poco a poco?

Yes. The structure ir + gerund works for all persons:

Voy aprendiendo español poco a poco. – I am gradually learning Spanish.
Vas aprendiendo español poco a poco. – You are gradually learning Spanish.
Va aprendiendo español poco a poco. – He/She is gradually learning Spanish.

So Voy aprendiendo español poco a poco is perfectly correct and means I’m gradually learning Spanish little by little.

Is this sentence formal or informal? In what context would it sound natural?

The sentence is neutral; it’s neither especially formal nor informal.

It would sound natural in contexts like:

A teacher speaking to students:
Vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco.
Friends in a study group talking about their Spanish:
Bueno, vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco.
Online communities or courses addressing participants.

Because it uses we and doesn’t use tú or usted, it avoids direct formality issues and fits almost any context where people are learning together.

In Latin America, is it more common to say español or castellano for the language?

In most of Latin America, español is more common in everyday speech when referring to the language:

Estoy aprendiendo español.

However, castellano is also understood everywhere and is commonly used in some countries (or regions within countries), for example:

Parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, etc.

In a pan‑Latin American, neutral context (like your sentence), español is the safest and most widely used term:

Vamos aprendiendo español juntos poco a poco.