ensinaste

Ensinaste is a Portuguese verb form that corresponds to the second-person singular preterite indicative of ensinar, meaning you taught. It is used to describe a completed act of teaching in the past. The form is most commonly used in European Portuguese when the pronoun tu is used; in Brazilian Portuguese, the corresponding past form with você is usually taught as você ensinou.

Etymology and meaning: The verb ensinar comes from a Latin root meaning to indicate or to show, passing into the Iberian languages as a term meaning to teach. In Portuguese, ensinar retains the broad sense of imparting knowledge or training.

Conjugation and usage: The infinitive is ensinar. In the present indicative, forms include eu ensino, tu ensinas, ele/ela ensina, nós ensinamos, vós ensináis, vocês/eles ensinam. The pretérito perfeito (pretaerite) for the second person singular is tu ensinaste; other forms include eu ensinei, ele ensinou, nós ensinamos, vós ensinastes, eles ensinaram. In Brazilian Portuguese, the equivalent past form with você is ensinou, and the tu forms are less common in everyday speech.

Notes: Ensinaste appears primarily in contexts using the tu form or in written/standard European Portuguese. In Brazilian Portuguese, speakers typically use você ensinou for past teaching actions, while tu forms may appear in regional or formal writing. Examples: Tu ensinaste matemática ontem. Você ensinou matemática ontem.

See also: ensinar, conjugation, Portuguese verbs.