Introduction

Comprare means “to buy”, and this page covers exactly one thing: comprare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for comprare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about comprare in the present. It means to buy something, and it is completely regular. It is the natural opposite of vendere, which means to sell, and the two verbs share the same regular pattern. For example: “Lui compra un libro ogni giorno.” — “He buys a book.” Everything on this page uses the forms of comprare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Comprare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io compro
tu compri
lui/lei compra
noi compriamo
voi comprate
loro comprano
Gerund: comprando · Past participle: comprato
The gerund is comprando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Comprando un libro, imparo molto.” — “While buying a book, I learn a lot.” The past participle is comprato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho comprato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how comprare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for comprare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of comprare is formed

The present tense of comprare has six forms: io compro, tu compri, lui compra, noi compriamo, voi comprate, loro comprano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. comprare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of comprare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning compriamo and comprate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so compro can mean both “I buy” and “I am buying” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because comprare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of comprare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use comprare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and comprare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io compro un libro ogni giorno.” — “I buy a book.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about comprare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui compra un libro ogni giorno.” — “He buys a book.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with comprare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi compriamo un libro ogni giorno.” — “We buy a book.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu compri un libro ogni giorno.” — “You buy a book.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and comprare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro comprano un libro ogni giorno.” — “They buy a book.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui compra un libro ogni giorno.” — “He buys a book”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha comprato un libro questa settimana.” — “He has bought a book”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io compro un libro ogni giorno.” — “I buy a book”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho comprato un libro questa settimana.” — “I have bought a book”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu compri un libro ogni giorno.” — “You buy a book”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai comprato un libro questa settimana.” — “You have bought a book”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: comprare in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io compro un libro ogni giorno.” — “I buy a book”
  2. “Tu compri un libro ogni giorno.” — “You buy a book”
  3. “Lui compra un libro ogni giorno.” — “He buys a book”
  4. “Noi compriamo un libro ogni giorno.” — “We buy a book”
  5. “Voi comprate un libro ogni giorno.” — “You buy a book”
  6. “Loro comprano un libro ogni giorno.” — “They buy a book”
  7. “Io compro un libro ogni giorno.” — “I buy a book”
  8. “Lui compra un libro ogni giorno.” — “He buys a book”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io compri un libro.” Right: “Io compro un libro ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is compro, not compri. compri is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi compro un libro.” Right: “Noi compriamo un libro ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form compriamo. compro belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io compro un libro ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho comprato un libro questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho comprato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io comprare un libro.” Right: “Io compro un libro ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive comprare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form compro.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compri
    • B) compro
    • C) compra
    • D) compriamo

  2. What is the tu form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compro
    • B) compra
    • C) compri
    • D) compriamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compro
    • B) compri
    • C) compriamo
    • D) compra

  4. What is the noi form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compriamo
    • B) compro
    • C) compri
    • D) compra

  5. What is the voi form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compro
    • B) comprate
    • C) compri
    • D) compra

  6. What is the loro form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compro
    • B) compri
    • C) comprano
    • D) compra

  7. What is the io form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compri
    • B) compra
    • C) compriamo
    • D) compro

  8. What is the tu form of comprare in the Present indicative?

    • A) compri
    • B) compro
    • C) compra
    • D) compriamo

Answer key

  1. B) compro — the correct form is compro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) compri — the correct form is compri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) compra — the correct form is compra. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) compriamo — the correct form is compriamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) comprate — the correct form is comprate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) comprano — the correct form is comprano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) compro — the correct form is compro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) compri — the correct form is compri. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does comprare mean in English?

comprare means “to buy”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of comprare formed?

The six present forms are: io compro, tu compri, lui compra, noi compriamo, voi comprate, loro comprano. comprare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of comprare?

The gerund is comprando and the past participle is comprato.

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