Yo aprendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés.

I am learning Spanish, but my mother tongue is English.

Breakdown of Yo aprendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés.

• ser: to be
• yo: I
• mi: my
• aprender: to learn
• español: Spanish
• inglés: English
• pero: but
• la lengua materna: the native language

Questions & Answers about Yo aprendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés.

Do I need to say Yo, or can I just say Aprendo español?

In Spanish you don’t have to say the subject pronoun most of the time, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Yo aprendo español = Aprendo español = I learn / I’m learning Spanish.
• The ending -o in aprendo clearly tells us the subject is yo (I).

You usually include yo when you want to:

• Emphasize contrast: Yo aprendo español, pero él no.
• Clarify after a long conversation, or for style.

In everyday speech, Aprendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés is perfectly natural and more common.

Why is it aprendo instead of estoy aprendiendo? In English I’d say “I’m learning Spanish.”

Spanish uses the simple present much more broadly than English.

• Yo aprendo español can mean:

  • I learn Spanish (in general).
  • I am learning Spanish (these days / currently).

• Yo estoy aprendiendo español also means I am learning Spanish (right now / these days), but it often emphasizes the ongoing process a bit more, like “I’m in the middle of learning it.”

In this sentence, both are correct:

• Yo aprendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés.
• Yo estoy aprendiendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés.

The first one sounds a bit more like a general statement of fact; the second highlights the ongoing action.

Why is español written with a lowercase letter, but in English we write Spanish with a capital S?

Spanish capitalization rules are different from English:

• Names of languages: lowercase in Spanish.
  
  • español, inglés, francés, alemán
• Nationalities: also lowercase.
  
  • español, inglesa, franceses, alemanes

So:

• English: Spanish, English, French
• Spanish: español, inglés, francés

The only time they’re capitalized is if they’re at the beginning of a sentence or part of a title that uses title case.

Why is there no article before español? Why isn’t it el español?

Both aprendo español and aprendo el español are grammatically possible, but they’re used differently.

• Aprendo español (most common in modern speech)

  • Means “I learn / I’m learning Spanish (the language)”.
  • Neutral, everyday way to say it.

• Aprendo el español

  • Can sound a bit more formal, or like you’re talking about the language as a system, almost like saying “I study the Spanish language.”
  • More likely in very formal contexts or in some regional varieties.

In Latin American everyday speech, Aprendo español (without el) is the natural choice.

What does lengua materna literally mean, and is it the usual way to say “native language”?

Literally:

• lengua = tongue or language
• materna = maternal (related to the mother)

So lengua materna literally means “mother tongue”, which matches the English expression.

To say “native language,” common options are:

• mi lengua materna – very common and natural
• mi lengua nativa – used, but somewhat less frequent
• mi idioma materno / idioma nativo – also correct; idioma = language

In everyday usage, lengua materna is very standard and widely understood everywhere in Latin America.

Why is it mi lengua materna es el inglés and not mi lengua materna es inglés? Why use el before inglés?

With languages used as predicates (after ser = to be), Spanish often uses the definite article:

• Mi lengua materna es el inglés.
• Su lengua materna es el español.
• Su lengua materna es el francés.

Saying mi lengua materna es inglés (without el) is understandable, but it sounds off or incomplete to many native speakers. The natural pattern is:

[subject] + ser + el + [language]

So:

• Mi lengua materna es el inglés. ✅ (most natural)
• Mi lengua materna es inglés. ❌/?? (unusual in standard usage)

What exactly does pero do here, and could I use sino instead?

Pero means “but / however” and introduces a contrast between two ideas that can both be true:

• Yo aprendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés.
  → I’m learning Spanish, but my native language is English.
  (Both parts are true; they just contrast.)

Sino is different; it’s used after a negation to mean “but rather / but instead”, correcting a previous statement:

• No aprendo francés, sino español.
  → I’m not learning French, but rather Spanish.

In your sentence there is no negation, so you must use pero, not sino:

• Yo aprendo español, pero mi lengua materna es el inglés. ✅
• Yo aprendo español, sino mi lengua materna es el inglés. ❌

Why is it es and not está in mi lengua materna es el inglés?

Spanish has two verbs for “to be”: ser and estar.

• ser (here: es) is used for:

  • identity, essence, definitions: Soy profesor.
  • permanent or inherent characteristics: Ella es alta.
  • origin, nationality, religion, profession, etc.

• estar is used for:

  • temporary states, feelings: Estoy cansado.
  • location: Estoy en casa.

Mi lengua materna es el inglés is defining what your native language is (an inherent, identifying characteristic), so Spanish uses ser:

• Mi lengua materna es el inglés. ✅
• Mi lengua materna está el inglés. ❌ (ungrammatical)

How is aprender conjugated, and what form is aprendo?

Aprender is a regular -er verb. In your sentence:

• aprendo = first person singular, present indicative
  → I learn / I’m learning

Present tense of aprender:

• yo aprendo – I learn / I’m learning
• tú aprendes – you learn / you’re learning (informal singular)
• él / ella / usted aprende – he / she learns; you learn (formal)
• nosotros(as) aprendemos – we learn
• ustedes aprenden – you all learn (Latin America)
• ellos / ellas aprenden – they learn

So Yo aprendo español = “I learn / I’m learning Spanish.”

Why is there no preposition after aprendo? Why not aprendo a español?

In Spanish, aprender is normally a transitive verb: it takes a direct object without a preposition.

• Aprendo español. ✅
• Aprendo matemáticas. ✅
• Aprendo muchas cosas. ✅

You only use a after aprender when it introduces a verb in the infinitive:

• Aprendo a hablar español. – I’m learning to speak Spanish.
• Aprendí a conducir. – I learned to drive.

So:

• aprendo español (no a) ✅
• aprendo a español ❌

Why is mi the same in mi lengua materna and mi lengua materna es el inglés? Doesn’t it change with gender?

The possessive adjective mi is invariable for gender. It only changes for number:

• mi – my (singular noun)
• mis – my (plural noun)

Examples:

• mi lengua (feminine singular)
• mi hermano (masculine singular)
• mis lenguas (feminine plural)
• mis hermanos (masculine plural)

So:

• mi lengua materna – my native language (one language)
  If you had more than one:
• mis lenguas maternas son el inglés y el español. – my native languages are English and Spanish.

Gender (masculine/feminine) does not change mi; only singular/plural does.

Could I say Mi idioma nativo es el inglés instead of Mi lengua materna es el inglés? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say both, and both are correct:

• Mi lengua materna es el inglés.
• Mi idioma nativo es el inglés.

Differences in nuance:

• lengua materna:
  • Very common, sounds natural everywhere.
  • Parallel to English “mother tongue”.
• idioma nativo:
  • Also correct.
  • Feels a bit more technical/formal to some speakers, but still widely used.

In everyday conversation, lengua materna is extremely standard and perhaps the most commonly used phrase.

How do I pronounce español, lengua materna, and inglés, especially the ñ and the accent marks?

Key points:

1. Stress (accent marks):

   • español – stress on the last syllable: es-pa-ñol
   • lengua materna – stress on gue and ter: len-gua ma-ter-na
   • inglés – written accent on és: in-glés (stress there)

2. Ñ (ñ):

   • Sounds like the ny in “canyon” or “onion”.
   • español ≈ es-pa-nyol

3. R sound in materna:

   • Single r in the middle: quick, tapped sound, like a very fast d in “ladder” in many American accents: ma-ter-na (with a light tap on r).

4. G + ue in lengua:

   • The g is a hard g (as in “go”), and the u is typically not pronounced here (it’s just part of the spelling rule): LEN-gua.

Putting it together slowly:

• Yo aprendo español → yo a-PREN-do es-pa-ÑOL
• mi lengua materna es el inglés → mi LEN-gua ma-TER-na es el in-GLÉS