Comprobar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of comprobar — "to check, to verify" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for comprobar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Comprobar means to check or verify something yourself: comprobar la hora, comprobar los datos. It often takes a que-clause: compruebo que la puerta está cerrada. To see it in a real sentence: Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock".
Present tense conjugation table: comprobar
Every person of comprobar in the present tense. The gerund is comprobando and the past participle is comprobado.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | compruebo |
| tú | compruebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | comprueba |
| nosotros/as | comprobamos |
| vosotros/as | comprobáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprueban |
How the present of comprobar is formed
The present of comprobar is built from the stem comprob- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | compruebo |
| tú | -as | compruebas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | comprueba |
| nosotros/as | -amos | comprobamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | comprobáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | comprueban |
The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: compruebo, compruebas, comprueba and comprueban — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: comprobamos, comprobáis.
The gerund of comprobar is comprobando and the past participle is comprobado. Both are the forms you need with estar and haber respectively.
When to use the present tense of comprobar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and comprobar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Habits and routines
The present describes things that happen regularly, as a habit or routine.
"Cada día, yo compruebo la hora en el reloj" — "Every day, I check the time on the clock"
General truths
The present states facts that are always true, not just true today.
"Mi amigo comprueba los datos del informe" — "My friend checks the data in the report"
What is happening now
The present describes an action in progress right now.
"Ahora, yo compruebo que la puerta está cerrada" — "Right now, I check that the door is closed"
Near-future plans
Spanish often uses the present for a plan that is already fixed.
"Mañana, nosotros comprobamos el correo cada mañana" — "Tomorrow, we check the email every morning"
Timetables and scheduled events
The present is the tense for timetables, programmes and things that happen on a schedule.
"Ellos comprueban la temperatura del horno" — "They check the oven temperature"
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: {'pre_es': 'Cada día, ', 'pre_en': 'Every day, '}yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock"
- Preterite — one finished occasion: {'pre_es': 'Ayer, ', 'pre_en': 'Yesterday, '}yo comprobé la hora en el reloj — "I checked the time on the clock"
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: {}tú compruebas los datos del informe — "You check the data in the report"
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: {}tú comprobabas los datos del informe — "You used to check the data in the report"
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él comprueba que la puerta está cerrada — "He checks that the door is closed"
- Future — what will happen: {'subj_es': 'Mi amigo', 'subj_en': 'My friend'}él comprobará que la puerta está cerrada — "He will check that the door is closed"
Examples: comprobar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show comprobar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock"
- Tú compruebas los datos del informe — "You check the data in the report"
- Él comprueba que la puerta está cerrada — "He checks that the door is closed"
- Nosotros comprobamos el correo cada mañana — "We check the email every morning"
- Vosotros comprobáis la temperatura del horno — "You check the oven temperature"
- Ellos comprueban la hora en el reloj — "They check the time on the clock"
- Yo compruebo los datos del informe — "I check the data in the report"
Common mistakes with comprobar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with comprobar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ *Yo comprobo la hora en el reloj.
✓ Correct: Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj.
comprobar is a stem-changing verb (o → ue): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is compruebo, not comprobo.
✗ *Tú comprueba los datos del informe.
✓ Correct: Tú compruebas los datos del informe.
The tú form and the él form are different: tú takes compruebas, él takes comprueba.
✗ *Cada día, yo comprobé que la puerta está cerrada
✓ Correct: Cada día, yo compruebo que la puerta está cerrada
Cada día describes a habit, so it needs the present, not the preterite.
✗ *Vosotros comprobais el correo cada mañana.
✓ Correct: Vosotros comprobáis el correo cada mañana.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: comprobáis, not comprobais.
Quiz: comprobar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of comprobar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
Which is the correct present form of comprobar for tú? A. compruebo B. comprueba C. comprobamos D. compruebas
Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock" (present) A. compruebas B. comprueba C. comprobamos D. compruebo
Complete the sentence: Él ______ los datos del informe — "He checks the data in the report" (present) A. compruebo B. compruebas C. comprobamos D. comprueba
Which is the correct present form of comprobar for nosotros? A. comprueba B. comprueban C. comprobamos D. compruebas
Which sentence uses comprobar correctly in the present? A. Mi amigo comprueba que la puerta está cerrada B. Mi amigo compruebas que la puerta está cerrada C. Mi amigo comprobaba que la puerta está cerrada D. Mi amigo comprobamos que la puerta está cerrada
Complete the sentence: Vosotros ______ el correo cada mañana — "You check the email every morning" (present) A. comprobáis B. compruebo C. compruebas D. comprueba
Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ la temperatura del horno — "They check the oven temperature" (present) A. compruebo B. compruebas C. comprueba D. comprueban
What is the gerund of comprobar? A. comprobé B. comprobando C. comprobado D. compruebo
Answer key
- compruebas — The tú form in the present is compruebas.
- compruebo — The present form for yo is compruebo.
- comprueba — The present form for él/ella/Ud. is comprueba.
- comprobamos — The nosotros form in the present is comprobamos.
- Mi amigo comprueba que la puerta está cerrada — Mi amigo comprueba que la puerta está cerrada is correct: the verb agrees with its subject and the tense is the present.
- comprobáis — The present form for vosotros/as is comprobáis.
- comprueban — The present form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is comprueban.
- comprobando — The gerund is comprobando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive, and it is not the past participle comprobado.
Frequently asked questions
Is comprobar regular in the present tense?
No — in the present the stem changes: The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: compruebo, compruebas, comprueba and comprueban — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: comprobamos, comprobáis. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem.
What is the gerund and the past participle of comprobar?
The gerund is comprobando and the past participle is comprobado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I check" in the present tense?
Say compruebo. For example: Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock".
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of comprobar?
The present describes a habit or what happens now: Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock". The preterite reports one finished occasion: Ayer, yo comprobé la hora en el reloj — "Yesterday, I checked the time on the clock". Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once.
Related links
- Full conjugation of comprobar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- comprobar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.