What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down literally as I am learning to speak Spanish. Estoy is the first-person singular conjugation of the verb estar (to be), and aprendiendo is the present participle of aprender (to learn). Español is the noun referring to the Spanish language.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the word castellano is often used instead of español to refer to the Spanish language.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the present continuous construction, which combines the verb estar with a gerund (estoy aprendiendo), to indicate an ongoing process. Note that the verb aprender requires the preposition a before an infinitive verb, which is why a hablar is used. Additionally, in Spanish, the names of languages like español are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.
Did you know?
- The term español might have its roots in an ancient connection to the Hebrew word for 'hyrax', via the Latin name for the region.
Examples in context
- Estoy aprendiendo a hablar español.I am learning to speak Spanish.
- Estoy aprendiendo a hablar español en la universidad.I am learning to speak Spanish at the university.
- Ahora mismo estoy aprendiendo a hablar español con un tutor.Right now I am learning to speak Spanish with a tutor.
- Por eso estoy aprendiendo a hablar español cada día.That is why I am learning to speak Spanish every day.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro meet for the first time at a cafe.
- LucíaHola, soy Lucía. ¿Tú hablas inglés?Hello, I am Lucía. Do you speak English?
- AlejandroHola Lucía, sí hablo, pero estoy aprendiendo a hablar español.Hello Lucía, yes I do, but I am learning to speak Spanish.
- Lucía¡Qué bien! Tu acento es muy bueno.How great! Your accent is very good.
- AlejandroMuchas gracias, Alejandro.Thank you very much, Alejandro.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, español, hablar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
