comprar Imperfect Conjugation
comprar — to buy
The imperfect of comprar uses the regular -aba endings: compraba, comprabas, compraba, comprábamos, comprabais, compraban.
comprar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe habitual purchases in the past, like where you used to buy candy as a child, or to describe the action of shopping when something else happened.
Notes on comprar in the Imperfect
Comprar is regular in the imperfect. Remember the accent mark only on the 'nosotros' form (comprábamos).
Example Sentences
De niño, yo compraba dulces todos los viernes.
As a child, I used to buy candy every Friday.
yo
Nosotros comprábamos en esa tienda antes de que cerrara.
We used to shop at that store before it closed.
nosotros
Ellos compraban la fruta en el mercado local.
They used to buy fruit at the local market.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: comprabamos
Correct: comprábamos
Why: The 'nosotros' form in the imperfect -ar conjugation always requires an accent on the antepenultimate syllable.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: compro
Comprar is a regular -ar verb in the present: compro, compras, compra, compramos, compráis, compran.
Preterite
yo: compré
The preterite of comprar is regular: compré, compraste, compró, compramos, comprasteis, compraron.
Future
yo: compraré
The future of comprar is formed by adding endings to the infinitive: compraré, comprarás, comprará, compraremos, compraréis, comprarán.
Conditional
yo: compraría
The conditional of comprar is regular: compraría, comprarías, compraría, compraríamos, compraríais, comprarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: compre
The present subjunctive of comprar uses -e endings: compre, compres, compre, compremos, compréis, compren.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: comprara
The imperfect subjunctive of comprar is built from the preterite stem: comprara, compraras, comprara, compráramos, comprarais, compraran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: compra
The imperative of comprar gives commands: compra (tú), compre (usted), compremos, comprad (vosotros), compren.
Negative Imperative
yo: no compres
The negative imperative of comprar uses the present subjunctive: no compres, no compre, no compremos, no compréis, no compren.