Ensinar

Ensinar is a Portuguese verb meaning to teach or to instruct. It is transitive and usually describes the act of imparting knowledge, skills, or procedures to another person. The term is common in educational, professional, and everyday contexts.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin insignāre, through Vulgar Latin and Old Portuguese, and has cognates in other Romance languages such as enseñar (Spanish), insegnare (Italian), and enseigner (French). The sense evolved from marking or pointing out to guiding learning.

Usage and syntax: A typical construction is ensinar algo a alguém (to teach someone something). It can also be used with a subordinate clause indicating how to do something, as in ensinar alguém a ler (to teach someone to read). In many contexts it overlaps with educar and instruir, though educar often carries a broader sense of forming character and values.

Conjugation: Ensinar is a regular -ar verb. In the present indicative (Brazilian Portuguese) the forms are eu ensino, tu ensinas, você ensina, nós ensinamos, vocês ensinam. Other tenses follow the standard -ar conjugation patterns (preterite: ensinei, ensinaste; imperfect: ensinava; gerund: ensinando).

See also: educar, aprender, aprendizagem, instruir.