El aprender poco a poco me da más confianza.

me

Breakdown of El aprender poco a poco me da más confianza.

• el: the
• más: more
• dar: to give

Questions & Answers about El aprender poco a poco me da más confianza.

Why is there an el before aprender? Isn’t aprender a verb?

Yes, aprender is normally a verb, but in Spanish an infinitive can also act like a noun: learning.

So here, el aprender means something like:

• learning
• the act of learning
• the process of learning

The article el helps turn the infinitive into a more clearly noun-like idea.

So:

• Aprender poco a poco me da más confianza = Learning little by little gives me more confidence
• El aprender poco a poco me da más confianza = very similar, but with a slightly more abstract or emphatic sense: the act/process of learning little by little gives me more confidence

In many cases, both versions are possible.

Can I leave out el and just say Aprender poco a poco me da más confianza?

Yes. That would be perfectly natural.

Both are possible:

• El aprender poco a poco me da más confianza
• Aprender poco a poco me da más confianza

The version with el can sound a bit more reflective, general, or formal. Without el, the sentence is often a little more direct and everyday.

So a learner should understand that el is not required here, but it is grammatical and meaningful.