apprendre

Apprendre is a French verb meaning to learn, to acquire knowledge or a skill. It can also mean to teach, when used with a direct object, as in apprendre quelque chose à quelqu’un or apprendre à quelqu’un à faire quelque chose. The sense depends on context: learning something oneself versus imparting knowledge to another.

Etymology and history: apprendre derives from Old French aprendre, which in turn comes from Latin adprehendere meaning to seize or grasp. The metaphorical shift from seizing to grasping knowledge explains the modern sense of acquiring understanding or skill.

Conjugation and usage: apprendre is an irregular verb with the present tense forms je apprends, tu apprends, il apprend, nous apprenons, vous apprenez, ils apprennent. The passé composé is formed with the auxiliary avoir and the past participle appris: j’ai appris. Other tenses include j’apprenais (imperfect), j’apprendrai (future), and que j’apprenne (subjunctive). The construction apprendre à + infinitif (apprendre à faire quelque chose) means to teach someone to do something or to learn how to do something depending on the subject. For example, on apprend à lire; j’apprends à parler français.

Nouns and related terms: l’apprentissage refers to the act or process of learning and, in some contexts, to an apprenticeship. A person who learns is an apprenant (masculine) or apprenante (feminine). Phrases such as apprendre par cœur (to learn by heart) and apprendre quelque chose à quelqu’un (to teach someone something) are common in everyday usage.

In education and pedagogy, apprendre appears in discussions of methods, curriculum design, and language acquisition, reflecting its broad role in acquiring skills and knowledge.