Introduction
Comprar means «to buy». Comprar means to buy: bread, a present, a ticket, a house. It is a regular -ar verb and the centre of every shopping conversation, market visit and online order in Spanish. It is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of comprar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo compro pan todos los días.» — I buy bread every day.
Quick facts
| Infinitive | comprar |
| English | to buy |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | comprando |
| Past participle | comprado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: comprando · Past participle: comprado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compro |
| tú | compras |
| él/ella/Ud. | compra |
| nosotros/as | compramos |
| vosotros/as | compráis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compran |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For comprar, the yo form is compro, as in «Yo compro» in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compré |
| tú | compraste |
| él/ella/Ud. | compró |
| nosotros/as | compramos |
| vosotros/as | comprasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compraron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo compré» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compraba |
| tú | comprabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | compraba |
| nosotros/as | comprábamos |
| vosotros/as | comprabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compraban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo compraba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compraré |
| tú | comprarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprará |
| nosotros/as | compraremos |
| vosotros/as | compraréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprarán |
The future tense states what will happen. For comprar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo compraré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compraría |
| tú | comprarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | compraría |
| nosotros/as | compraríamos |
| vosotros/as | compraríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo compraría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he comprado |
| tú | has comprado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha comprado |
| nosotros/as | hemos comprado |
| vosotros/as | habéis comprado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han comprado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he comprado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había comprado |
| tú | habías comprado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había comprado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos comprado |
| vosotros/as | habíais comprado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían comprado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había comprado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré comprado |
| tú | habrás comprado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá comprado |
| nosotros/as | habremos comprado |
| vosotros/as | habréis comprado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán comprado |
The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré comprado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría comprado |
| tú | habrías comprado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría comprado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos comprado |
| vosotros/as | habríais comprado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían comprado |
The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría comprado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compre |
| tú | compres |
| él/ella/Ud. | compre |
| nosotros/as | compremos |
| vosotros/as | compréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compren |
The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él compre». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | comprara |
| tú | compraras |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprara |
| nosotros/as | compráramos |
| vosotros/as | comprarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compraran |
The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él comprara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | compra |
| él/ella/Ud. | compre |
| nosotros/as | compremos |
| vosotros/as | comprad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compren |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡Compra!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | compres |
| él/ella/Ud. | compre |
| nosotros/as | compremos |
| vosotros/as | compréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | compren |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No compres!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.
Example sentences
- Yo compro pan todos los días. — I buy bread every day.
- Mi hermana compra pan mucho. — My sister buys bread a lot.
- Ayer yo compré pan por la tarde. — Yesterday I bought bread in the afternoon.
- De pequeño, yo compraba pan muchas veces. — As a child, I used to buy bread often.
- Mañana yo compraré pan sin falta. — Tomorrow I will buy bread without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo compraría pan ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would buy bread right now.
- Hoy yo he comprado un regalo dos veces. — Today I have bought a present twice.
- Espero que él compre pan pronto. — I hope he buys bread soon.
- ¡Compra pan al volver a casa! — Buy bread on your way home!
- Ahora mismo estoy comprando pan. — Right now I am buying bread.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting the accent in the preterite
Wrong: compre
Right: compré
The yo preterite of comprar carries a written accent: compré. Without it, compre is the present subjunctive yo form, a completely different tense.
2. Using the imperfect for a finished event
Wrong: Ayer yo compraba pan.
Right: Ayer yo compré pan.
Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, compré. The imperfect compraba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.
3. Confusing it with a similar verb
Wrong: *Compro a pan.
Right: Compro pan.
Comprar takes a direct object with no preposition when the object is a thing: comprar pan, comprar un regalo.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
Wrong: Espero que tú compras pan.
Right: Espero que tú compres pan.
After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: compres, not the indicative compras. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.
5. Using the affirmative imperative after no
Wrong: No compra pan.
Right: No compres pan.
Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no compres. The affirmative compra can never follow no.
Quiz
Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.
1. What is the yo form of comprar in the present tense?
- (a) compra
- (b) compramos
- (c) compras
- (d) compro
2. What is the él/ella form of comprar in the preterite?
- (a) compramos
- (b) compraste
- (c) compré
- (d) compró
3. What is the nosotros form of comprar in the imperfect?
- (a) compraba
- (b) comprabas
- (c) comprábamos
4. What is the tú form of comprar in the future tense?
- (a) compraremos
- (b) comprará
- (c) comprarás
- (d) compraré
5. What is the ellos form of comprar in the conditional?
- (a) compraría
- (b) comprarían
- (c) comprarías
6. What is the yo form of comprar in the present perfect?
- (a) ha comprado
- (b) has comprado
- (c) he comprado
- (d) hemos comprado
7. After «Espero que…», what is the tú form of comprar?
- (a) compre
- (b) compremos
- (c) compres
8. What is the nosotros form of comprar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra)?
- (a) comprara
- (b) compráramos
- (c) compraras
9. What is the gerund of comprar?
- (a) comprado
- (b) comprando
- (c) comprar
- (d) compro
10. What is the past participle of comprar?
- (a) comprado
- (b) comprando
- (c) comprar
- (d) compré
Answer key
1. (d) compro — In the present, the yo form of comprar is compro. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
2. (d) compró — In the preterite, the el form of comprar is compró. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
3. (c) comprábamos — In the imperfect, the nosotros form of comprar is comprábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
4. (c) comprarás — In the future, the tu form of comprar is comprarás. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
5. (b) comprarían — In the conditional, the ellos form of comprar is comprarían. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
6. (c) he comprado — In the present perfect, the yo form of comprar is he comprado. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
7. (c) compres — In the present subjunctive, the tu form of comprar is compres. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
8. (b) compráramos — In the imperfect subjunctive, the nosotros form of comprar is compráramos. The other options are the same tense but different persons.
9. (b) comprando — The gerund of comprar is comprando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy comprando».
10. (a) comprado — The past participle of comprar is comprado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he comprado».
Frequently asked questions
Is comprar regular or irregular?
Yes, comprar is a regular -ar verb. Every tense follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can generate the whole table. The only thing to watch is choosing the right tense, not the forms themselves.
What are the gerund and past participle of comprar?
The gerund is comprando and the past participle is comprado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy comprando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he comprado»).
What is the difference between comprar and vender?
Comprar and vender are often confused. Vender is to sell; comprar is to buy — the two sides of every shop transaction.
How do I say «I buy» in Spanish?
Say «Yo compro». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
Which tense do learners find hardest with comprar?
Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (compré) for a single finished event and the imperfect (compraba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: comprar-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: comprar-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
- Related verb: vender
- Related verb: pagar
- Related verb: usar
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz