comprar Present Conjugation
comprar — to buy
Comprar is a regular -ar verb in the present: compro, compras, compra, compramos, compráis, compran.
comprar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use the present tense to talk about what you are buying right now at the store or items you buy regularly, like groceries. It also works for general statements about where someone shops.
Notes on comprar in the Present
Comprar is completely regular in the present tense, following the standard -ar ending pattern.
Example Sentences
Siempre compro el pan en la panadería de la esquina.
I always buy bread at the corner bakery.
yo
¿Qué compras en el mercado hoy?
What are you buying at the market today?
tú
Ellos compran mucha ropa por internet.
They buy a lot of clothes online.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'compro' for 'I am buying' in every context.
Correct: Use 'estoy comprando' for actions currently in progress, though 'compro' works for the immediate future.
Why: Learners often forget that the simple present can cover 'I buy' and 'I am buying' in Spanish.
Master Spanish verbs in context
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: compré
The preterite of comprar is regular: compré, compraste, compró, compramos, comprasteis, compraron.
Imperfect
yo: compraba
The imperfect of comprar uses the regular -aba endings: compraba, comprabas, compraba, comprábamos, comprabais, compraban.
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.