
componer Preterite Conjugation
componer — to compose
The preterite of componer uses the irregular stem 'compus-' with specific endings: compuse, compusiste, compuso.
componer Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a finished act of composing a specific piece or a completed repair that happened at a specific point in time.
Notes on componer in the Preterite
It is highly irregular. It uses the stem 'compus-' and does not have any accents on the endings (unlike regular preterite verbs).
Example Sentences
Ayer compuse una melodía nueva.
Yesterday I composed a new melody.
yo
El técnico compuso mi computadora rápidamente.
The technician fixed my computer quickly.
él/ella/usted
Ellos compusieron un poema para la boda.
They composed a poem for the wedding.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Yo componí.
Correct: Yo compuse.
Why: Componer follows the irregular preterite pattern of 'poner', not the regular -er pattern.
Mistake: Él compusó.
Correct: Él compuso.
Why: Irregular preterites like 'compuso' do not have an accent on the final 'o'.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'componer' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: compongo
The present tense of componer is irregular in the first person (yo compongo), then follows the pattern of 'poner'.
Imperfect
yo: componía
The imperfect of componer is regular: componía, componías, componía, componíamos, componíais, componían.
Future
yo: compondré
The future of componer uses the irregular stem 'compondr-': compondré, compondrás, compondrá.
Conditional
yo: compondría
The conditional of componer uses the irregular stem 'compondr-': compondría, compondrías, compondría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: componga
The present subjunctive of componer is based on the 'yo' form: componga, compongas, componga.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: compusiera
The imperfect subjunctive of componer uses the irregular stem 'compusie-': compusiera, compusieras, compusiera.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: compón
The imperative of componer has a short 'tú' form: compón.
Negative Imperative
yo: no compongas
The negative imperative of componer uses the present subjunctive: no compongas, no componga.