Introduction
Comprar means “to buy”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Comprar is the verb for buying things: food, clothes, a car, a house. The thing bought is the direct object, with no preposition. Comprar para + person means to buy for someone. The para marks who the purchase is for. This page shows comprar 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 compro pan todos los días.” — I buy bread every day.
Comprar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how comprar 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 comprar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo compro pan todos los días.” — I buy bread every day.
“¿Tú compras la ropa en rebajas?” — Do you buy clothes in the sales?
“Mi madre compra ropa para los niños.” — My mother buys clothes for the children.
“Nosotros compramos en el mercado.” — We buy at the market.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show comprar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo compré pan y leche.” — Yesterday I bought bread and milk. (preterite)
“Mi padre compraba el periódico cada mañana.” — My father used to buy the newspaper every morning. (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 comprar stays the same.
“Nosotros compraremos una casa nueva el año que viene.” — We will buy a new house next year. (future)
“¿Tú has comprado ya los billetes?” — Have you bought the tickets yet? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros compráis los billetes por internet.” — You buy the tickets online.
“Ellos compran una casa nueva.” — They buy a new house.
“Yo compro flores para mi mujer.” — I buy flowers for my wife.
“Mi padre compra el periódico cada mañana.” — My father buys the newspaper every morning.
Comprar 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 comprar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Marta: “¿Tú compras la ropa en rebajas?” — Do you buy clothes in the sales?
Pedro: “Sí, yo compro pan todos los días.” — Yes, I buy bread every day.
Marta: “Nosotros compramos en el mercado.” — We buy at the market.
Pedro: “Y ellos compran una casa nueva.” — And they buy a new house.
Marta: “Vosotros compráis los billetes por internet.” — You buy the tickets online.
Pedro: “Sí, y mi madre compra ropa para los niños.” — Yes, and my mother buys clothes for the children.
A short paragraph
Marta compra pan todos los días, y su madre compra ropa para los niños. Nosotros compramos en el mercado, y ellos compran una casa nueva. Yo compro flores para mi mujer, y mi padre compra el periódico cada mañana. Comprar is part of every week, because buying food, buying clothes and buying tickets are all part of the same verb.
Common mistakes with comprar
These are the errors learners actually make with comprar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo compro de pan.” Right: “Yo compro pan.” Why: Comprar takes a direct object with no preposition: compro pan, not compro de pan. The de appears only in quantities such as 'compro un kilo de pan', where it belongs to the quantity.
Wrong: “Ellos compra una casa.” Right: “Ellos compran una casa.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form compran. The singular compra belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as mi madre.
Wrong: “Yo compro pan ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo compré pan y leche.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished purchase yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to compré.
Wrong: “Nosotros compras en el mercado.” Right: “Nosotros compramos en el mercado.” Why: Nosotros needs compramos. The tú form compras belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos compro todos los días.” Right: “Ellos compran todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form compran, not the yo form compro. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: comprar in use
Ten questions on comprar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ los billetes por internet.” (You buy the tickets online.)
- (a) compras
- (b) compráis
- (c) compro
Answer: compráis — The vosotros/as form of comprar in the present tense is compráis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ una casa nueva.” (They buy a new house.)
- (a) compran
- (b) compro
- (c) compras
Answer: compran — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of comprar in the present tense is compran.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ pan y leche.” (Yesterday I bought bread and milk.)
- (a) compraste
- (b) compró
- (c) compré
Answer: compré — In the preterite, the yo form of comprar is compré.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Mi padre ______ el periódico cada mañana.” (My father used to buy the newspaper every morning.)
- (a) comprabas
- (b) compraba
- (c) compraba
Answer: compraba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of comprar is compraba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ una casa nueva el año que viene.” (We will buy a new house next year.)
- (a) compraremos
- (b) compraré
- (c) comprarás
Answer: compraremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of comprar is compraremos.
6. What does comprar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to buy
Answer: to buy — Comprar means “to buy”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo compro pan.
- (b) Yo compro de pan.
- (c) Ellos compra una casa.
Answer: Yo compro pan. — “Yo compro pan.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I buy flowers for my wife.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo compran flores para mi mujer.
- (b) Yo compro flores para mi mujer.
- (c) Mi padre compra el periódico cada mañana.
Answer: Yo compro flores para mi mujer. — “Yo compro flores para mi mujer.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of comprar in the present tense?
- (a) compro
- (b) compras
- (c) compramos
Answer: compramos — The nosotros form is compramos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo compré pan y leche.
- (b) Nosotros compraremos una casa nueva el año que viene.
- (c) Yo compro pan todos los días.
Answer: Yo compro pan todos los días. — “Yo compro pan todos los días.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I buy bread' in Spanish?
Say 'Compro pan'. The bread follows directly with no preposition. For a routine: 'Compro pan todos los días'.
How do you say 'to buy tickets online' in Spanish?
Say 'comprar los billetes por internet'. In the present: 'Vosotros compráis los billetes por internet'. Por internet is the phrase for online.
Can comprar be used for buying a house?
Yes. 'Ellos compran una casa nueva' means they buy a new house. The house is the direct object, just like bread or clothes, and the verb works exactly the same way.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of comprar — every tense of comprar in one place.
- Comprar in the present 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 comprar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of comprar until they are automatic.