Componer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Componer means “to compose, to fix”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Componer means to compose or to fix, and it covers composing a song, making up a team and fixing a machine. It follows the pattern of poner, with the present compongo, the preterite compuse and the irregular participle compuesto. This page shows componer in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.” — I compose a song for the competition.
Componer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how componer is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use componer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Compongo una canción para el concurso.” — I compose a song for the competition.
“¿Tú compones el equipo con los mejores?” — Do you compose the team with the best players?
“Compone la radio rota del abuelo.” — He/she composes grandad's broken radio.
“Componemos un poema para su madre.” — We compose a poem for his mother.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show componer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo compuse una canción para el concurso.” — Yesterday, I composed a song for the competition. (preterite)
“Él componía el equipo con los mejores todos los días.” — He used to compose the team with the best players every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of componer stays the same.
“Nosotros compondremos la radio rota del abuelo mañana.” — We will compose grandad's broken radio tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has compuesto un poema para su madre?” — Have you composed a poem for his mother? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Componéis una canción para el concurso.” — You compose a song for the competition.
“Componen el equipo con los mejores.” — They compose the team with the best players.
“Compongo la radio rota del abuelo.” — I compose grandad's broken radio.
“Compone un poema para su madre.” — He/she composes a poem for his mother.
Componer in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how componer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú compones una canción para el concurso?” — Do you compose a song for the competition?
Carlos: “Sí, yo compongo una canción para el concurso.” — Yes, I compose a song for the competition.
Lucía: “Nosotros componemos el equipo con los mejores.” — We compose the team with the best players.
Carlos: “Y ellos componen la radio rota del abuelo.” — And they compose grandad's broken radio.
Lucía: “Vosotros componéis un poema para su madre.” — You compose a poem for his mother.
Carlos: “Sí, y él compone el equipo con los mejores.” — Yes, and he composes the team with the best players.
A short paragraph
Lucía compone una canción para el concurso, y Carlos compone el equipo con los mejores. Nosotros componemos la radio rota del abuelo, y ellos componen un poema para su madre. Yo compongo la radio rota del abuelo, y mi padre compone un poema para su madre. Componer is part of everyday life, because to compose, to fix is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with componer
These are the errors learners actually make with componer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo compone una canción para el concurso.” Right: “Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.” Why: The person matters: compone is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is compongo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo componí el equipo con los mejores.” Right: “Ayer yo compuse el equipo con los mejores.” Why: Componer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is compuse, not the regular componí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating componer and arreglar as identical in every context.” Right: “Componer means to compose, to fix, while arreglar means to fix.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: componer fits sentences such as Compongo una canción para el concurso, while arreglar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy compuesto el equipo con los mejores.” Right: “Yo he compuesto el equipo con los mejores.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he compuesto, has compuesto, ha compuesto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo compuse la radio rota del abuelo todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo componía la radio rota del abuelo todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (componía), not the preterite. The preterite (compuse) is for one finished action.
Quiz: componer in use
Ten questions on componer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ una canción para el concurso.” (A song for the competition.)
- (a) componéis
- (b) compongo
- (c) compones
Answer: componéis — The vosotros/as form of componer in the present is componéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el equipo con los mejores.” (The team with the best players.)
- (a) compongo
- (b) compones
- (c) componen
Answer: componen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of componer in the present is componen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ una canción para el concurso.” (A song for the competition.)
- (a) compuso
- (b) compuse
- (c) compusiste
Answer: compuse — The yo form of componer in the preterite is compuse.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el equipo con los mejores.” (The team with the best players.)
- (a) componía
- (b) componías
- (c) componíamos
Answer: componía — The él/ella/Ud. form of componer in the imperfect is componía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la radio rota del abuelo.” (Grandad's broken radio.)
- (a) compondré
- (b) compondrás
- (c) compondremos
Answer: compondremos — The nosotros/as form of componer in the future is compondremos.
6. What does componer mean in English?
- (a) to arrange, to have available
- (b) to compose, to fix
- (c) to fix
Answer: to compose, to fix — Componer means “to compose, to fix”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.
- (b) Ellos compone una canción para el concurso.
- (c) Yo compongo el equipo con los mejores ayer.
Answer: Yo compongo una canción para el concurso. — “Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I compose a song for the competition.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo componen una canción para el concurso.
- (b) Yo compuse una canción para el concurso.
- (c) Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.
Answer: Yo compongo una canción para el concurso. — “Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of componer in the present tense?
- (a) compones
- (b) componemos
- (c) compongo
Answer: componemos — The nosotros form is componemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo compuse una canción para el concurso.
- (b) Nosotros compondremos una canción para el concurso mañana.
- (c) Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.
Answer: Yo compongo una canción para el concurso. — “Yo compongo una canción para el concurso.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I compose' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo compongo una canción para el concurso'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo compongo una canción para el concurso todos los días'.
How do you say 'I compose' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo compuse el equipo con los mejores'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo componía el equipo con los mejores todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he compuesto el equipo con los mejores'.
What is the difference between componer and arreglar?
Componer means to compose, to fix, while arreglar means to fix. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use componer when you mean to compose, to fix, as in Compongo una canción para el concurso.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of componer — every tense of componer in one place.
- Componer in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on componer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of componer until they are automatic.