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Poco a poco aprendo español.

Poco a poco aprendo español.
Little by little I am learning Spanish.
From Lesson 249:Gradual comparison (cada vez más, cada vez menos)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Poco a poco aprendo español.

This lesson is about cada vez más. How does poco a poco fit in?
While cada vez más means "more and more" and usually goes with an adjective, adverb, or noun, poco a poco means "little by little" or "gradually". Both phrases are used to express that something is happening in stages over time. Here, it modifies the verb aprendo to show the learning is a gradual process.
The English translation says "I am learning", so why doesn't the Spanish use estoy aprendiendo?
In Spanish, the simple present tense (aprendo) is often used for ongoing actions that happen over a period of time. You could absolutely say Poco a poco estoy aprendiendo español, but the simple present sounds very natural and is used more frequently than in English for this kind of ongoing situation.
Why isn't there an el before español? I thought languages needed a definite article.
You do need the article when the language is the subject of the sentence (like El español es divertido). However, immediately after verbs related to language use, such as aprender (to learn), hablar (to speak), or estudiar (to study), the article is usually dropped.
Can I move poco a poco to a different part of the sentence?
Yes! Spanish is quite flexible with adverbs and adverbial phrases. You can say Aprendo español poco a poco and it means exactly the same thing. Putting it at the beginning just puts a little more emphasis on the gradual nature of the process.

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