teach · Portuguese (ensinar) — Event-Structure Dictionary

Arguments

Teacher, Learner, Content · Learner dative when the Content is a noun · Learner direct or dative when the Content is a + infinitive · Portuguese cloth · working claim, revisable

Voice[Teacher] + low Appl(Learner) + complement of the root (Content)

Nominal Content · Learner_DAT (a + NP, lhe / lhes) · Content_ACC · para of that Learner unprinted

ensinar + a + infinitive · Learner direct (o / a, or a full noun phrase) or dative (lhe / lhes) · both printed

Content unexpressed · a direct Learner is printed · Luft also names ensinar-lhe with no thing-complement

A teaching, on this reading, has a Teacher, a Learner, and a Content. They are not three equal sisters of one flat verb. Voice adds the Teacher. Low Appl introduces the Learner. The root’s complement is the Content: a noun phrase, or an a-marked infinitive where a source prints one. Priberam calls the conjugation regular and the participle regular. The Dicionário Houaiss was not opened.

What is different from the English gloss. English teach Mary French and teach someone something are two bare objects. The nominal frame of ensinar is not that. The Content is the direct object. The Learner is a plus a noun phrase, or a dative clitic. Michaelis prints Ele ensina inglês aos netos. Wikcionário prints Ela ensinou muitas coisas interessantes a seus alunos. Aulete sense 4 prints Ensinou o caminho aos turistas, label tdi. + a. Ciberdúvidas, quoting João Malaca Casteleiro (dir.), Dicionário Gramatical de Verbos Portugueses (Lisboa, Texto Editores, 2007, p. 393), prints Ensina português a alunos estrangeiros. A clause with two bare objects and no a and no dative clitic is unprinted. para of the Learner is unprinted on ensinar in Priberam, Infopédia, Michaelis, Aulete, and the grammars read here. It is not starred. It is printed on lecionar, below.

a + infinitive. The Learner is printed as a direct object and as a dative. Infopédia’s “Como usar” prints O tio ensinou-o a cantar. Priberam sense 4 prints os pais ensinaram ambos os filhos a serem independentes. The older Aulete block prints Ensinar os cavalos a puxarem o carro. Malaca’s frames, as Ciberdúvidas 28277 prints them, label ensinara-o, o golfinho, and ensiná-lo-ia as direct objects beside a + infinitive. Celso Cunha and Lindley Cintra, Nova Gramática do Português Contemporâneo (1984, p. 519), as Ciberdúvidas 33021 quotes them, print both constructions: ensinar-lhe a + infinitive, and ensiná-lo a + infinitive. Ciberdúvidas accepts lhes ensinou a cultivar abóboras. Celso Pedro Luft, Dicionário prático de regência verbal (Ática, p. 252), as the note of 27/01/2023 on Ciberdúvidas 37267 quotes him, says that in Brazil the contrast o/lhe = culto/vulgar suggests a preference, in the formal or careful register, for ensiná-lo a + infinitive, and that the same holds for ensiná-lo / ensinar-lhe with no thing-complement. That note is about the infinitive and about the Learner with no Content. It is not a label on the nominal a-frame.

When the Content is absent. A direct Learner is printed. Priberam sense 1 is ensinar alunos estrangeiros, glossed Dar aulas ou lições a. Aulete sense 1, label td., prints Uma das missões dos pais é ensinar os filhos. Malaca’s frame (a) is O professor ensina os alunos, a direct object. Luft’s note, quoted above, also names ensinar-lhe with no thing-complement, as the other pole of the Brazilian o/lhe contrast. me, te, and nos do not spell accusative against dative. o / a against lhe / lhes do. Spanish enseñar, on the DPD’s teaching sense, keeps the person indirect when the Content is unexpressed. That is not what these Portuguese lines print.

Indicate, punish, and the intransitive. Michaelis prints ensinava-lhes o caminho under “Dar indicações ou sinais precisos; indicar”, and the siglum on that line is AA1. Aulete sense 4 is Indicar, mostrar, with the same tdi. + a cloth as Ensinou o caminho aos turistas. The cloth is the nominal frame. The sense is not a teaching. Michaelis a mãe vai ensiná-lo is the punishment sense. That accusative is not evidence for the teaching frame. Priberam sense 7, Aulete’s intransitive continuou a ensinar, Infopédia’s intransitive dar aulas; lecionar, and Malaca’s frame (k) are the professor with no Learner and no Content in the clause. Do not map every ensinar to teach.

Against German and Spanish. beibringen is dative Learner + accusative Content, the same case frame as nominal ensinar. lehren’s active norm is two accusatives. That double accusative is not this nominal frame. Spanish enseñar is the closest sibling: dative Learner with a nominal Content, and both a dative and a direct person with a + infinitive. The divergence is the Learner with no Content. Portuguese prints that Learner as a direct object. The DPD keeps the Spanish person indirect.

Places · who wears which marking

No printed teaching line stacks a named Teacher, a full-DP Learner, and a nominal Content of a school subject in one clause with a clitic doubled on the a-phrase. Michaelis prints inglês and aos netos. Wikcionário prints muitas coisas interessantes and a seus alunos. Malaca prints português and a alunos estrangeiros. The name in the constructed line below fills that a-slot. Clitic doubling is unprinted. It is not constructed.

Printed nominal frame · direct Content · Learner a or dative lhe / lhes

✓ Ele ensina inglês aos netos. Michaelis · vtdi · aos is a plus the article · michaelis.uol.com.br · ensinar

✓ Ela ensinou muitas coisas interessantes a seus alunos. Wikcionário · sense 1 · pt.wiktionary.org/wiki/ensinar

✓ Ensinou o caminho aos turistas. Aulete · sense 4 · label tdi. + a · indicate / show · same cloth · aulete.com.br/ensinar

✓ Botelho, à frente deles, ensinava-lhes o caminho. Michaelis · indicate · lhes · siglum AA1 as the article prints it

English teach Mary French · the Portuguese Learner is not a bare first object

Printed a + infinitive · direct Learner, and dative Learner

✓ O tio ensinou-o a cantar. Infopédia · Porto Editora · “Como usar” · o direct · infopedia.pt · ensinar

✓ os pais ensinaram ambos os filhos a serem independentes. Priberam · sense 4 · dicionario.priberam.org/ensinar

✓ Em vão ensinara-lhe a proteger os animais das pragas e dos vendavais. Cunha and Cintra 1984, p. 519, as Ciberdúvidas 33021 quotes them · Nélida Piñón · dative lhe · orthography as that quotation keeps it · ciberduvidas · 33021

✓ e lhes ensinou a cultivar abóboras. Ciberdúvidas 33021 · the answer accepts the dative plural

taught him to sing · taught them to grow squashes · the infinitive is a-marked either way

Places of Portuguese ensinar: introducer, marking, case status, English and sibling marking
Place	Introduced by (working)	Portuguese marking	Case status	English and sibling marking
Teacher	Spec,Voice	subject of ensinar	structural subject · Priberam: regular conjugation, regular participle · Wikcionário: 1st conjugation, participle ensinado	subject of teach · subject of enseñar · subject of lehren, beibringen, and unterrichten
Learner · nominal Content	low Appl	a + NP · dative lhe / lhes	indirect object in the lines that spell it · Michaelis aos netos · Wikcionário a seus alunos · Aulete aos turistas, aos homens · Malaca a alunos estrangeiros · Michaelis lhes on the indicate line · para unprinted · a doubled clitic plus a-phrase is unprinted · me in Priberam ensinou-me o valor da amizade does not spell the case	bare object of teach Mary French · dative of enseñar and of beibringen · accusative of lehren in the active norm
Learner · a + infinitive	low Appl	direct o / a or a full noun phrase · dative lhe / lhes	both printed · Infopédia ensinou-o · Priberam ambos os filhos · older Aulete os cavalos · Malaca o, o golfinho · Cunha and Cintra lhe and o · Ciberdúvidas lhes · Luft: Brazilian formal preference for o, and lhe as the other pole	object of teach someone to … · Spanish majority le or minority lo / la · accusative of lehren beside an infinitive · dative of beibringen
Learner · Content unexpressed	low Appl	direct object in the dictionary lines · Luft also names lhe	Priberam alunos estrangeiros · Aulete os filhos · Malaca os alunos · Luft, no thing-complement: ensiná-lo preferred in the Brazilian formal register, ensinar-lhe the other pole · not the Spanish “stays indirect” sentence	bare object of teach them · Spanish les in the DPD’s les enseñan bien
Content · noun	complement of the root	direct object · inglês, matemática, muitas coisas interessantes, português, o caminho	structural direct object · Michaelis also prints the subject with no Learner: ensina matemática em casa	bare object of French / something · accusative of enseñar and of beibringen
Content · infinitive	a + infinitive	a cantar · a serem independentes · a proteger · a ver claro · a cultivar · a saltar · a nadar in the Ciberdúvidas analysis line	the printed complement of this shape · a finite que-clause is also printed (Malaca (c) and (g)) · it is not called a subjunctive here · Aulete Ensinou a turma a nadar is label tdi. + a and spells a turma with no crase, so the line does not print à turma	to read / to swim · Spanish a + infinitive · German lehren prints a bare infinitive
Indicate / show	same introducers · other sense	Michaelis lhes o caminho · Aulete sense 4 o caminho aos turistas · Malaca (g) ao filho que …, glossed mostrar	same dative + accusative cloth · the thing is shown, not taught · not a map onto teach	unprinted as a display frame of beibringen
aprender	the Learner is the subject · not Spec,Voice of ensinar	Source com of a person is filled · de of a person is filled on another line · the two are not one marker	Aulete sense 4, label tdr. + com, de, example Maria aprendeu a prudência com os avós · de is in that label and unfilled in that example · Michaelis Aprenderam dos amigos a ausência nas horas difíceis · Aulete aprender com os próprios erros and Michaelis com os próprios erros are not a person · Infopédia prints no person-source · older Aulete a or para is a falar inglês and para barbeiro, not a person-source	learn something from someone · Spanish person-source de · not an antonym label: Michaelis’s antonym of ensinar is desensinar
lecionar	a near-synonym · other frames · not this page	a, and Aulete’s label also para · a direct person is also printed · de / a in an Infopédia gloss, unfilled	Aulete tdi. + a, para · Leciona espanhol para principiantes · ti. + a · Ela leciona a crianças carentes · td. · Lecionou matemática por muitos anos · Michaelis Leciona matemática a alunos de nível avançado · leciona idosos · lecionar crianças na arte da pintura · Priberam lecionar literatura and leciona a alunos do primeiro ano · the pronominal leciona-se com professores estrangeiros is “take lessons”, not a passive of ensinar	lecture / give classes · not the English double object

Marking map. One letter can belong to several heads. Read the head, then the marker.

Subject of the Teacher. The subject of the working sense is the one who instructs, or, on the indicate sense, the one who shows the way. A line can lack a Learner: Michaelis A jovem universitária ensina matemática em casa, Aulete Ensinava matemática e física, Priberam ensinar matemática. The intransitive is the professor: Priberam sense 7, Aulete continuou a ensinar.
Dative of the Learner beside a nominal Content. a + NP is Michaelis aos netos, Wikcionário a seus alunos, Aulete aos homens a prática do bem (Cecília Meireles) and aos turistas, Malaca a alunos estrangeiros, and the older Aulete line ensinar aos portugueses (Vieira). Malaca ao filho is the que-clause, glossed mostrar, and it is not this nominal teaching line. lhes is Michaelis on o caminho. lhe is the older Aulete line from Camões, que o malévolo Baco lhe ensinara. The clitic and the full a-phrase are printed in separate strings. Priberam a vida ensinou-me o valor da amizade prints me beside the Content. me does not spell the case. On the aprender article Michaelis prints Pede então à Rita que to ensine: to is te plus o, the Learner clitic and the Content clitic of ensinar.
Direct Learner beside a + infinitive. Infopédia ensinou-o a cantar. Priberam ambos os filhos a serem independentes. Older Aulete os cavalos a puxarem o carro. Cunha and Cintra de o ensinar a ver claro (Urbano Tavares Rodrigues). Malaca (h) ensinara-o a preparar vários pratos, (i) ensinaram o golfinho a saltar, (j) ensiná-lo-ia a dar mais valor à vida. Ciberdúvidas’s own analysis line, not those Malaca frames, is O pai ensina a Maria a nadar: the answer calls the first a the indirect object of the name, and the second a the infinitive. A later paragraph of the same answer lists o and a among unstressed pronouns it says stand in for an a-phrase. The Malaca frames on that page label the Learner of the infinitive as a direct object. Both wordings are printed. This page does not collapse them.
Dative Learner beside a + infinitive. Cunha and Cintra ensinara-lhe a proteger os animais. Ciberdúvidas 33021 accepts lhes ensinou a cultivar abóboras. Michaelis A própria vida nos ensina a sobreviver prints nos. nos does not spell the case. Luft’s Brazilian note prefers ensiná-lo a + infinitive in the formal register and calls the lhe side vulgar. The dative is printed. It is not starred.
para. Unprinted as the Learner of ensinar in the dictionaries and grammars read here. Not starred. Aulete’s government of lecionar is tdi. + a, para, filled by Leciona espanhol para principiantes. That para is not copied onto ensinar. enviar prints para of a Recipient or a Goal. This page does not import that split.
Learner side, aprender. The Learner is the subject. Aulete sense 4 prints com os avós of a person, and the label also names de, unfilled there. Michaelis prints dos amigos of a person, on a figurative lesson, a ausência nas horas difíceis. com os próprios erros is not a person. Infopédia’s aprender article prints no person-source. The older Aulete line “Pode reger a ou para” is Anda a aprender a falar inglês and Aprende para barbeiro. para barbeiro is a profession, not a person-source. Michaelis’s antonym of ensinar is desensinar. aprender is the converse in direction, not that antonym label. It is not a page.
lecionar and “dar aulas”. Priberam ensinar senses 1 and 2 are glossed Dar aulas ou lições a and Dar aulas ou lições de, with the examples ensinar alunos estrangeiros and ensinar a ler e a escrever; ensinar matemática. Those examples are frames of ensinar. They are not a separate clause dar aulas de. Infopédia lecionar glosses dar lições ou explicações de/a and prints no clause. Aulete and Michaelis print the frames in the table. Michaelis leciona-se com professores estrangeiros is the pronominal “take lessons”. Neither lemma is a page. No separate clause dar aulas de is printed in those ensinar and lecionar articles.

EN ⇄ PT valency strip

Each row lines up one English slot with a Portuguese slot, and names the Spanish or German slot where the marking differs. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same object status), or shift (a bare English object ↔ a Portuguese a-phrase or dative clitic, or ↔ an a-infinitive). Printed dictionary lines come first. Every other Portuguese sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line. They show the working alignment. They are not frequency, and not a bilingual corpus.

English–Portuguese valency alignment for teach / ensinar, one row per argument
Slot	EN form	PT form	Align	EN example	PT example
Teacher	SUBJ of teach	subject	=	he teaches his grandchildren English gloss of the Michaelis line	Ele ensina inglês aos netos. Michaelis
Learner · nominal Content	bare object of teach Mary French	a + NP · lhe / lhes	shift · one Portuguese dative · the English double object has no to and no clitic	teach Mary French the English frame this page does not copy	aos netos Michaelis · Ensinou francês ao João. constructed on aos netos and on Malaca a alunos estrangeiros
Learner · no Content	bare object of teach them	direct object in the dictionary lines	= on those lines · Luft also names dative lhe with no thing-complement	teach the pupils gloss	ensinar os filhos Aulete · ensina os alunos Malaca, via Ciberdúvidas 28277
Learner · a + infinitive	object of teach someone to …	o / a or a full noun phrase · or lhe / lhes	= when the line calls the person direct · shift when the line calls the person dative	his uncle taught him to sing gloss of Infopédia	ensinou-o a cantar Infopédia · ensinara-lhe a proteger Cunha and Cintra, via Ciberdúvidas 33021
Content · noun	bare French / something	direct object	=	English gloss	inglês Michaelis · português Malaca
Content · infinitive	to sing / to swim	a + infinitive	shift · Portuguese prints a	teach someone to sing gloss	a cantar Infopédia · a nadar Ciberdúvidas 28277 · O pai ensina a Maria a nadar
para of the Learner	unprinted as a required piece of teach	unprinted on ensinar	no match in the ensinar entries read · printed on Aulete lecionar	—	Leciona espanhol para principiantes. Aulete · lecionar · not a frame of ensinar
Two bare objects	the English double object has no case ending and no clitic	bare Learner beside a bare Content, with no a and no lhe	unprinted · the printed person of the nominal frame is a-marked or dative	teach João Portuguese the English frame	* Ensinou o João português. constructed · not a dictionary line
aprender · Source	from someone	com of a person · de of a person on another line	the Learner is the subject · the person is not a Recipient	learned prudence from her grandparents gloss	com os avós Aulete · dos amigos Michaelis
Indicate	not teach	same dative + accusative cloth	sense split · do not gloss o caminho as a school subject taught	showed them the way gloss	ensinava-lhes o caminho Michaelis · AA1

The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card holds one frame. The subject chip is the Teacher when the clause has one.

EN · PT · a-marked Learner

a + accusative

She taught Mary French.

Ensinou francês ao João.

PT constructed · ao João fills the slot of Michaelis aos netos and of Malaca a alunos estrangeiros · francês stands in the Content slot of inglês · the English line is the double object, not a translation of one citation

RolesHide roles LearnerContent

Learner ao João Content francês

Move one Portuguese a · English teach Mary French spells neither to nor a clitic

PT · a + infinitive · direct

o · a cantar

his uncle taught him to sing

O tio ensinou-o a cantar.

PT · Infopédia · direct o · the dative is also printed and is not starred

RolesHide roles LearnerContent

Learner o · direct in this line Content a cantar

Move the infinitive is a-marked · Cunha and Cintra also print lhe

PT · a + infinitive · dative

lhe · lhes

taught him to protect the animals

ensinara-lhe a proteger os animais

PT · Cunha and Cintra, via Ciberdúvidas 33021 · dative · Luft prefers the accusative in the Brazilian formal register · the dative stays printed

RolesHide roles LearnerContent

Learner lhe Content a proteger

Move same infinitive shape · the person is dative in this line and direct in Infopédia

PT · aprender · Source

com · not a

Maria learned prudence from her grandparents

Maria aprendeu a prudência com os avós.

PT · Aulete · sense 4 · com of a person · the label also names de, unfilled in this example · Michaelis fills dos amigos on another line

RolesHide roles LearnerSourceContent

Learner Maria · subject Source com os avós Content a prudência

Move the Learner is the subject · com is not the Recipient’s a

PT · lecionar · para

not ensinar

lectures Spanish for beginners

Leciona espanhol para principiantes.

PT · Aulete · lecionar · label tdi. + a, para · para is unprinted on ensinar · Michaelis prints a alunos de nível avançado on lecionar

RolesHide roles LearnerContent

Learner para principiantes Content espanhol

Move near-synonym · the Learner marker on this line is para, which ensinar does not print

DE · PT · case of the Learner

beibringen = this dative

jdm etw beibringen

a alguém · algo

DE · on the German page · dative Learner + accusative Content · PT · Michaelis aos netos + inglês · lehren’s double accusative is the other German frame

RolesHide roles LearnerContent

Learner jdm · a Content etw · algo

Move English teach someone something has two bare objects · the matching pair is dative + accusative

PT · two bare objects

DAT ≠ a bare name

—

* Ensinou o João português.

PT constructed · starred · not a dictionary line · the printed person of the nominal frame is a-marked or dative

RolesHide roles LearnerContent

Learner o João · no a, no lhe Content português

Move English teach João Portuguese has no to · Portuguese prints an a-marked Learner

Examples

Argument difference. English teach Mary French is one gloss with two bare objects. Portuguese ensinar, when the Content is a noun, puts the Learner in a or in lhe / lhes and the Content in the direct object. German beibringen is that case frame. German lehren’s two accusatives are not. When the Content is a + infinitive, Portuguese prints the Learner as a direct object and as a dative. Luft’s Brazilian note prefers the accusative in the formal register and does not withdraw the dative. When no Content is in the clause, the dictionaries print a direct Learner, and Luft also names ensinar-lhe. Spanish enseñar keeps that person indirect. para of the Learner is unprinted on ensinar and printed on Aulete lecionar.

Senses kept off the teaching frame, or flagged inside it. The indicate / show reading uses the nominal cloth: Michaelis o caminho, Aulete sense 4, Malaca (g) glossed mostrar. The punishment reading is Priberam sense 6, Infopédia’s figurative sense 5, Michaelis ensiná-lo, and the older Aulete line Espera aí que eu te ensino (Castilho). The accusative in ensiná-lo on that Michaelis line is the punishment, not the teaching frame.

Dictionary frames and lines · checked · quoted as printed

Ele ensina inglês aos netos. · A jovem universitária ensina matemática em casa. · ensinava-lhes o caminho · A própria vida nos ensina a sobreviver. · a mãe vai ensiná-lo Michaelis · nominal a · Content with no Learner · dative lhes on the indicate line, siglum AA1 · nos does not spell case · ensiná-lo is the punishment sense · antonym desensinar

Ela ensinou muitas coisas interessantes a seus alunos. · A professora ensina geografia naquela escola Wikcionário · sense 1 a seus alunos · sense 2 the subject taught, no Learner · etymology there: Latin infinitive insignare

ensinar alunos estrangeiros · ensinar a ler e a escrever; ensinar matemática · os pais ensinaram ambos os filhos a serem independentes · a vida ensinou-me o valor da amizade Priberam · senses 1, 2, 4, 5 · sense 1 the Learner is the direct object and the gloss is Dar aulas ou lições a · sense 7 intransitive = lecionar · etymology there: Latin insignio, -ire · regular participle

O tio ensinou-o a cantar. · Aquela professora ensina com/por novos métodos. Infopédia · “Como usar” · o + a + infinitive · com/por on that line is the method, not the Learner · intransitive gloss dar aulas; lecionar · etymology there: Latin insignāre, for insignīre

ensinar os filhos · Ensinou a turma a nadar · ensinava aos homens a prática do bem · Ensinou o caminho aos turistas · ensinar aos portugueses · lhe ensinara · Ensinar os cavalos a puxarem o carro Aulete · senses 1–4 and the older block · a turma has no crase · Cecília Meireles · Vieira · Camões, Lus., I, 97, as the entry cites it · etymology of the numbered entry: Latin vulgar insignare · the three etymologies are quoted, not reconciled

O professor ensina os alunos · Ensina português a alunos estrangeiros · O pai ensinara ao filho que o dinheiro não era tudo · O mestre de cozinha ensinara-o a preparar vários pratos · Os tratadores ensinaram o golfinho a saltar pelo meio do arco · O pai ensina a Maria a nadar Ciberdúvidas 28277 · frames (a), (f), (g), (h), (i) sourced there to Malaca Casteleiro, Dicionário Gramatical de Verbos Portugueses, 2007, p. 393 · a Maria a nadar is the answer’s analysis line · ciberduvidas · 28277

ensinar-lhe a + infinitivo · ensiná-lo a + infinitivo · lhes ensinou a cultivar abóboras Cunha and Cintra 1984, p. 519, and the answer’s acceptance, Ciberdúvidas 33021

No Brasil, o contraste o/lhe = culto/vulgar sugere a preferência, no registro formal ou tenso, por ensiná-lo a + Infinitivo; o mesmo valendo naturalmente para ensiná-lo/ensinar-lhe (sem compl. de coisa). Luft, Dicionário prático de regência verbal, Ática, p. 252, as the note of 27/01/2023 on Ciberdúvidas 37267 quotes it · ciberduvidas · 37267

Maria aprendeu a prudência com os avós. · aprender com os próprios erros · Anda a aprender a falar inglês. · Aprende para barbeiro. Aulete · aprender · com of a person in sense 4 · de in that label, unfilled · para barbeiro is not a person · aulete.com.br/aprender

Aprenderam dos amigos a ausência nas horas difíceis. · Aprendeu muito com os próprios erros. · Pede então à Rita que to ensine Michaelis · aprender · dos amigos is de of a person · to ensine is te + o of ensinar · michaelis · aprender

Leciona espanhol para principiantes. · Ela leciona a crianças carentes. · Lecionou matemática por muitos anos. Aulete · lecionar · para and a · aulete.com.br/lecionar

Leciona matemática a alunos de nível avançado. · leciona idosos · lecionar crianças na arte da pintura · leciona-se com professores estrangeiros Michaelis · lecionar · direct person · pronominal “take lessons” · michaelis · lecionar

estou a lecionar literatura · leciona a alunos do primeiro ano Priberam · lecionar · dicionario.priberam.org/lecionar

dar lições ou explicações de/a Infopédia · lecionar · gloss · no clause · infopedia.pt · lecionar · Infopédia aprender prints no person-source · infopedia.pt · aprender

Strings below are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not dictionary lines. João fills a named a-object of the shape aos netos and a alunos estrangeiros. francês fills the direct Content of inglês. The starred line is the English double object with Portuguese words. para is not constructed. A passive is not constructed. Houaiss was not opened, and no sentence from it is quoted.

✓ Ensinou francês ao João.

RolesHide roles TeacherLearnerContent

Teacher the subject of ensinou Learner ao João Content francês

constructed · a + NP modelled on Michaelis aos netos and on Malaca a alunos estrangeiros · direct Content modelled on inglês and português

* Ensinou o João português.

RolesHide roles LearnerContent

Learner o João Content português

constructed · two bare objects · English teach João Portuguese · the nominal Learner in the lines read is a-marked or dative

✓ ensina inglês aos netos Michaelis · a + NP · direct Content
✓ a seus alunos Wikcionário · a + NP
✓ ensinava-lhes o caminho Michaelis · lhes · indicate · not the teaching gloss
✓ ensinou-o a cantar Infopédia · direct Learner · a + infinitive
✓ ensinara-lhe a proteger Cunha and Cintra · dative Learner · a + infinitive
✓ lhes ensinou a cultivar abóboras Ciberdúvidas 33021 · dative plural · accepted
✓ ensinar os filhos Aulete · Learner direct · no Content in the clause
✓ com os avós Aulete · aprender · Source com
✓ dos amigos Michaelis · aprender · Source de · not the same marker as com
✓ para principiantes Aulete · lecionar · not ensinar

Voice

No passive of the teaching frame is printed in Priberam, Infopédia, Michaelis, Aulete, or the grammar passages read here. Nothing is constructed. Michaelis leciona-se com professores estrangeiros is the pronominal of lecionar, “take lessons”, not a passive of ensinar. The participle Priberam calls regular, and Wikcionário prints ensinado. Neither entry prints a promotion of the Content or of the Learner. German lehren prints both promotions of its two accusatives. That German question is not opened here.

Derivations · working sketches, revisable

Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The drawing gives the Teacher to Voice, the Learner to low Appl, and the Content to the root. Open one sketch at a time. Which theta role is the object is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note.

Voice · the Teacher is the external argument

Constructed · one external argument

[TP [ensinou]
  [VoiceP Voice                     ← Teacher = Spec,Voice
    … ensinar … ]]

✓ Ensinou francês ao João. constructed

The external argument is the Teacher. English keeps one subject on teach. Portuguese does not keep the Learner as a second bare object under that subject when the Content is a noun.

Low Appl · the Learner · the root takes the Content

Nominal Content · dative Learner · the direct person of a + infinitive is the other printed option, not this tree

[VoiceP Voice
  [ApplP_LOW [a João]_DAT Appl         ← Learner · a / lhe / lhes in the nominal frame
    [VP √ensin-
       [Content francês ]_ACC ]]]       ← Content · direct object

The a-infinitive is the other printed complement. The person under it is printed as direct or as dative.

[VoiceP Voice
  [ApplP_LOW [o]_ACC  or  [lhe]_DAT Appl
    [VP √ensin-
       [Content a cantar ]]]]           ← a + infinitive · both persons printed

✓ ensina inglês aos netos Michaelis · a + accusative

✓ ensinou-o a cantar Infopédia · direct person · a + infinitive

✓ ensinara-lhe a proteger Cunha and Cintra · dative person · a + infinitive

* Ensinou o João português. constructed · the nominal Learner is not a bare object

English, Spanish, and German · one gloss, not one case frame

Working · no English teach page is opened · Spanish is teach-es.html · German is teach-de.html

[VoiceP Voice                                  ← Teacher
  [ApplP_LOW someone Appl                     ← EN bare object
    [VP √TEACH                                · PT a / lhe when the Content is a noun
       [Content something ]]]]                · PT accusative
                                              · PT o/a or lhe when the Content is a + infinitive
                                              · ES le / a + DP in the nominal frame
                                              · DE beibringen: jdm etw
                                              · DE lehren: jdn etw

The English gloss spells no dative and no a. The Portuguese nominal frame matches beibringen, the dative, and not the double accusative of lehren, and not teach Mary French.

Layer-by-layer parallel: English teach, Portuguese ensinar, Spanish enseñar, German beibringen
Layer	teach (EN) · no page	ensinar	enseñar	beibringen
Spec,Voice	Teacher	Teacher	Teacher	Teacher
Learner · noun Content	bare object	a or lhe / lhes	dative le / a	dative
Learner · infinitive	object of teach someone to	direct or dative · both printed · Luft prefers direct in the Brazilian formal register	indirect majority · direct minority	dative, with a nominalized infinitive or a zu-clause on that page
Learner · no Content	bare object	direct in the dictionary lines · Luft also names lhe	stays indirect in the DPD	dative where that page prints a Learner
Content	bare object, or an infinitive	direct object, or a + infinitive	accusative, or a + infinitive	accusative

Notes

Working paper · October 2026 · Portuguese micro-entry · Beyond Index 2

Teaching in Portuguese is not the English double object. Teacher (Voice, subject), Learner (low Appl), Content (complement of the root). When the Content is a noun, the Learner is a plus a noun phrase or dative lhe / lhes, and the Content is the direct object. When the Content is a + infinitive, the Learner is printed as a direct object and as a dative. Luft’s Brazilian note prefers the accusative in the formal register. A Learner with no Content is printed as a direct object. para of the Learner is unprinted on ensinar and printed on lecionar. German beibringen matches the nominal dative. English teach Mary French does not.

PT micro-entry live Beyond Index 2 para unprinted on ensinar DE lehren live ES enseñar live RU учить live HU tanít live JA 教える live FR enseigner live IT insegnare live PL uczyć live NL leren live NO lære live BG уча live ZH 教 live

Sense × language: teach · Portuguese (ensinar). The teaching sense is the page. The indicate / show reading and the punishment reading stay flagged and off the teaching gloss. aprender and lecionar stay notes. No English teach hub. German: teach · lehren / beibringen / unterrichten. Spanish: teach · enseñar. Russian: teach · учить / научить. Hungarian: teach · tanít. Japanese: teach · 教える. French: teach · enseigner. Italian: teach · insegnare. Polish: teach · uczyć / nauczyć. Dutch: teach · leren. Norwegian: teach · lære. Bulgarian: teach · уча / науча. Mandarin: teach · 教. Geometry neighbors: lend · emprestar · borrow · pedir emprestado. Index 2 does not list ensinar.

Places
EN ⇄ PT strip
Examples
Voice
Derivations
Hierarchy
Geometry
Open items
Corpus and sources

Working paper. Portuguese-only micro-entry. Frames were checked on Priberam, Infopédia (Porto Editora), Michaelis, and Aulete Digital (ensinar, aprender, lecionar), on Wikcionário (ensinar), and on Ciberdúvidas 33021, 28277, and 37267, including the quotations there from Cunha and Cintra, from Malaca Casteleiro, and from Luft.

Constructed examples. Dictionary lines and the grammar quotations are marked as printed. Ensinou francês ao João and the starred bare double object Ensinou o João português are marked constructed. The direct person and the dative person of a + infinitive are quoted, not starred. para of the Learner is unprinted on ensinar and is not constructed.

Arity. Index 2 does not list ensinar. Surface count can name a teacher, a learner, and a content. The lexicon does not list three co-arguments of one flat V, and it does not list the English double object as the Portuguese frame. Voice adds the Teacher. Low Appl adds the Learner. The root takes the Content. The object inside an infinitive is not a further sister of ensinar.

What this page does not do. It does not star the printed dative of a + infinitive. It does not treat Aulete Ensinou a turma a nadar as a printed à turma. It does not import para from lecionar or from enviar. It does not call aprender the antonym Michaelis prints (desensinar). It does not open a page for aprender or lecionar. It does not map the indicate sense or the punishment sense onto teach. It does not quote Houaiss. The three etymologies, Priberam insignio, Infopédia insignāre, and Aulete Latin vulgar insignare, are left as printed.

Hierarchy

Not a flat grid of three sisters, and not the English double object copied onto one Portuguese verb. Voice adds the Teacher. Low Appl adds the Learner. The root takes the Content.

What Portuguese changes, against teach Mary French, is the Learner’s marking when the Content is a noun. That Learner is a or lhe / lhes. The Content stays a direct object, as in English. When the Content is a + infinitive, the Learner may be direct or dative, and both are printed. When the Content is absent, a direct Learner is printed, which is the point on which this page and Spanish enseñar diverge. German beibringen is the dative match for the nominal frame. The indicate sense uses that nominal cloth and is not a teaching.

Geometry · ensinar beside the other teaching lemmas

English teach. Two bare objects in teach Mary French and teach someone something. No English page is opened.
ensinar. Nominal frame: a or lhe / lhes for the Learner, direct object for the Content. a + infinitive: direct or dative Learner, both printed. No Content: direct Learner printed, and Luft also names lhe. para unprinted. Indicate / show flagged.
enseñar. The closest sibling. Nominal frame: dative Learner, accusative Content. a + infinitive: indirect majority, direct minority. Content unexpressed: the DPD keeps the person indirect. Portuguese prints a direct Learner in that gap.
beibringen. Dative Learner, accusative Content. The case match for the Portuguese nominal frame.
lehren. Accusative Learner and accusative Content in the active norm. That double accusative is not the Portuguese nominal frame. The infinitive on lehren is bare. Portuguese prints a.
aprender. The Learner is the subject. Aulete fills the person-source with com. Michaelis fills a person with de. The label de beside Aulete’s com example is unfilled. Infopédia prints no person-source. Not a page.
lecionar. Near-synonym. Aulete prints para and a. Michaelis and Priberam print a, and a direct person. The pronominal is “take lessons”. Not a page.

Open items

para of the Learner on ensinar. Unprinted in Priberam, Infopédia, Michaelis, Aulete, and the grammars read here. Not starred. Printed on Aulete lecionar. Not copied from enviar.
Clitic doubling. The clitic and a full a-phrase are printed in separate strings. A doubled clause is unprinted. Not constructed.
me / te / nos. Printed. They do not spell accusative against dative. Not given a case beyond what o / a and lhe / lhes spell.
Aulete a turma. Label tdi. + a. Spelling Ensinou a turma a nadar, no crase. Not treated as à turma.
de of a person on aprender. In Aulete’s label, unfilled in com os avós. Filled in Michaelis dos amigos. The two markers are not collapsed. Infopédia prints neither.
Passive. Unprinted for ensinar. Not constructed.
Houaiss. Not opened. No sentence from it is quoted.
A finite que-clause. Printed (Malaca (c) and (g)). Not called a subjunctive here. Not given a separate page.

Corpus filenames and sources checked

Dictionary frames: Priberam, Infopédia (Porto Editora), Michaelis, and Aulete Digital for ensinar, aprender, and lecionar; Wikcionário for ensinar. Grammar: Ciberdúvidas 33021 (Cunha and Cintra, Nova Gramática do Português Contemporâneo, 1984, p. 519), Ciberdúvidas 28277 (examples sourced there to Malaca Casteleiro, Dicionário Gramatical de Verbos Portugueses, 2007, p. 393), and Ciberdúvidas 37267 (Luft, Dicionário prático de regência verbal, Ática, p. 252, note of 27/01/2023). Literary lines are quoted only as those entries print them. The constructed clauses put a printed a on a named Learner, or star a bare double object. The Dicionário Houaiss was not opened. Index 2 does not list ensinar.

Priberam · ensinar dicionario.priberam.org/ensinar · senses 1–2 gloss Dar aulas ou lições a/de · sense 4 direct Learner + a + infinitive · sense 5 ensinou-me · sense 7 intransitive · regular participle · Latin insignio, -ire
Infopédia · ensinar infopedia.pt · ensinar · Porto Editora · O tio ensinou-o a cantar · com/por of the method · Latin insignāre
Michaelis · ensinar michaelis.uol.com.br · ensinar · inglês aos netos · lhes o caminho siglum AA1 · punishment ensiná-lo · antonym desensinar
Aulete · ensinar aulete.com.br/ensinar · td. os filhos · tdi. + a · a turma with no crase · aos turistas · older block Vieira, Camões, os cavalos a puxarem o carro · Latin vulgar insignare
Wikcionário · ensinar pt.wiktionary.org/wiki/ensinar · a seus alunos · participle ensinado
Ciberdúvidas 33021 ciberduvidas · ensinar alguém a · Cunha and Cintra, both constructions · accepts lhes ensinou a cultivar abóboras
Ciberdúvidas 28277 ciberduvidas · ainda o verbo ensinar · Malaca Casteleiro, 2007, p. 393 · direct Learner with no Content · a alunos estrangeiros · direct Learner + infinitive · analysis line a Maria a nadar
Ciberdúvidas 37267 ciberduvidas · que lhe tinha ensinado a ser · Luft, p. 252 · Brazilian o/lhe · formal preference for ensiná-lo a + infinitive, and the same with no thing-complement
Aulete · aprender aulete.com.br/aprender · com os avós · label also de · para barbeiro is not a person
Michaelis · aprender michaelis · aprender · dos amigos · to ensine
Infopédia · aprender infopedia.pt · aprender · no person-source in the article served
Aulete · lecionar aulete.com.br/lecionar · tdi. + a, para · para principiantes · a crianças carentes
Michaelis · lecionar michaelis · lecionar · a alunos · direct idosos · pronominal leciona-se com
Priberam · lecionar dicionario.priberam.org/lecionar · literatura · a alunos do primeiro ano
Infopédia · lecionar infopedia.pt · lecionar · gloss de/a · no clause
Sibling pages teach-de · teach-es · beibringen is the dative match · Spanish keeps the person indirect when the Content is unexpressed

Records the a-marked or dative Learner and the direct Content of nominal ensinar, both printed persons of a + infinitive, the direct Learner when no Content is in the clause, and para as unprinted on this verb and printed on lecionar. Does not open aprender.