Aula vs. lição
While both aula and lição can be translated as lesson in English, they are not interchangeable in Portuguese. Aula refers to the class or lecture as an event, while lição refers to the content, homework, or moral takeaway from that event.
Aula
A1Aula refers to the class, lecture, or teaching session itself. It is the scheduled event where teaching and learning happen, whether in a physical classroom, online, or during a private tutoring session. It emphasizes the time, place, and act of instruction.
A aula de matemática começa às nove da manhã.
(The math class starts at nine in the morning.)
Eu tive uma aula de piano muito produtiva hoje.
(I had a very productive piano lesson today.)
A professora cancelou a aula de hoje por causa da chuva.
(The teacher canceled today's class because of the rain.)
Você assistiu à aula online que o professor gravou?
(Did you watch the online class that the teacher recorded?)
Ele me deu uma verdadeira aula de como ser paciente.
(He gave me a true masterclass on how to be patient.)
Estamos esperando o professor para começar a aula.
(We are waiting for the teacher to start the class.)
Lição
A1Lição refers to the content of what is learned or the task assigned. It can be a specific unit in a textbook, a homework assignment (lição de casa), or a moral or life lesson learned from an experience. It focuses on the subject matter or the takeaway.
Por favor, abram o livro na lição número cinco.
(Please, open your books to lesson number five.)
As crianças precisam terminar a lição de casa antes de brincar.
(The children need to finish their homework before playing.)
A história da tartaruga e da lebre tem uma bela lição.
(The story of the tortoise and the hare has a beautiful moral lesson.)
Perder o emprego foi uma dura lição de vida para ele.
(Losing his job was a hard life lesson for him.)
Espero que você tenha aprendido a sua lição.
(I hope you have learned your lesson.)
A próxima lição do curso é sobre os verbos irregulares.
(The next lesson in the course is about irregular verbs.)
Summary
In short, you attend an aula (the class event) to learn a lição (the content). An aula is the scheduled time and place for instruction, like a history class or a yoga class. A lição is the specific material you study, the homework you do (lição de casa), or the moral you learn from a situation.