Comprobar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb comprobar means to check, to verify, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. 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. Like every Spanish verb, comprobar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: comprobar
  • English: to check, to verify
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue)
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: comprobando
  • Past participle: comprobado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + comprobado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for comprobar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for comprobar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | compruebo | | tú | compruebas | | él/ella/Ud. | comprueba | | nosotros/as | comprobamos | | vosotros/as | comprobáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprueban |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | comprobé | | tú | comprobaste | | él/ella/Ud. | comprobó | | nosotros/as | comprobamos | | vosotros/as | comprobasteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprobaron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | comprobaba | | tú | comprobabas | | él/ella/Ud. | comprobaba | | nosotros/as | comprobábamos | | vosotros/as | comprobabais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprobaban |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | comprobaré | | tú | comprobarás | | él/ella/Ud. | comprobará | | nosotros/as | comprobaremos | | vosotros/as | comprobaréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprobarán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | comprobaría | | tú | comprobarías | | él/ella/Ud. | comprobaría | | nosotros/as | comprobaríamos | | vosotros/as | comprobaríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprobarían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he comprobado | | tú | has comprobado | | él/ella/Ud. | ha comprobado | | nosotros/as | hemos comprobado | | vosotros/as | habéis comprobado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han comprobado |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había comprobado | | tú | habías comprobado | | él/ella/Ud. | había comprobado | | nosotros/as | habíamos comprobado | | vosotros/as | habíais comprobado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían comprobado |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré comprobado | | tú | habrás comprobado | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá comprobado | | nosotros/as | habremos comprobado | | vosotros/as | habréis comprobado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán comprobado |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría comprobado | | tú | habrías comprobado | | él/ella/Ud. | habría comprobado | | nosotros/as | habríamos comprobado | | vosotros/as | habríais comprobado | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían comprobado |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | compruebe | | tú | compruebes | | él/ella/Ud. | compruebe | | nosotros/as | comprobemos | | vosotros/as | comprobéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprueben |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | comprobara | | tú | comprobaras | | él/ella/Ud. | comprobara | | nosotros/as | comprobáramos | | vosotros/as | comprobarais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprobaran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | comprueba | | él/ella/Ud. | compruebe | | nosotros/as | comprobemos | | vosotros/as | comprobad | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprueben |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | compruebes | | él/ella/Ud. | compruebe | | nosotros/as | comprobemos | | vosotros/as | comprobéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | comprueben |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund comprobando with estar for the progressive: está comprobando
Past participle comprobado with haber for the perfect tenses: he comprobado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For comprobar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo comprobé los datos del informe — "Yesterday, I checked the data in the report".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo comprobaba que la puerta está cerrada — "As a child, I used to check that the door is closed".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo comprobaré el correo cada mañana — "Tomorrow, I will check the email every morning".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo comprobaría la hora en el reloj si pudiera — "I would check the time on the clock if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he comprobado los datos del informe — "Today, I have checked the data in the report".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había comprobado que la puerta está cerrada antes de salir — "I already had checked that the door is closed before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré comprobado el correo cada mañana — "By tomorrow, I will have checked the email every morning".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría comprobado la hora en el reloj con más tiempo — "I would have checked the time on the clock with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For comprobar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él compruebe los datos del informe — "I hope he checks the data in the report".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For comprobar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo comprobara que la puerta está cerrada, todo cambiaría — "If I checked that the door is closed, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For comprobar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Comprueba el correo cada mañana. — "Check the email every morning.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For comprobar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No compruebes la hora en el reloj. — "Do not check the time on the clock.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with comprobar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock"
  2. Mi amigo comprueba los datos del informe — "My friend checks the data in the report"
  3. Ayer, yo comprobé que la puerta está cerrada — "Yesterday, I checked that the door is closed"
  4. Antes, nosotros comprobábamos el correo cada mañana — "Before, we used to check the email every morning"
  5. Mañana, tú comprobarás la temperatura del horno — "Tomorrow, you will check the oven temperature"
  6. Yo comprobaría la hora en el reloj si tuviera más tiempo — "I would check the time on the clock if I had more time"
  7. Él ha comprobado los datos del informe — "He has checked the data in the report"
  8. Espero que él compruebe que la puerta está cerrada — "I hope he checks that the door is closed"
  9. Yo ya había comprobado el correo cada mañana antes de salir — "I already had checked the email every morning before leaving"
  10. Ellos comprobaban la temperatura del horno cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to check the oven temperature when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo comprobo los datos del informe. — Right: Yo compruebo los datos del informe. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él comprueba los datos del informe — Right: Espero que él compruebe los datos del informe — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él compruebe los datos del informe — not the indicative Espero que él comprueba los datos del informe.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo compruebo que la puerta está cerrada — Right: Ayer, yo comprobé que la puerta está cerrada — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo comprobé que la puerta está cerrada.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo comprobé el correo cada mañana todos los días — Right: De niño, yo comprobaba el correo cada mañana todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo comprobaba el correo cada mañana todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo compruebo en la hora en el reloj. — Right: Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj. — comprobar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on comprobar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. 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

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ los datos del informe — "He checked the data in the report" (preterite) A. comprobaste B. comprobamos C. comprobó D. comprobé

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ que la puerta está cerrada — "We used to check that the door is closed" (imperfect) A. comprobábamos B. comprobaba C. comprobabas D. comprobabais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el correo cada mañana — "You will check the email every morning" (future) A. comprobaré B. comprobará C. comprobaremos D. comprobarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la temperatura del horno — "I would check the oven temperature" (conditional) A. comprobaríais B. comprobaría C. comprobarías D. comprobaríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la hora en el reloj — "I hope he checks the time on the clock" (present subjunctive) A. compruebes B. comprobemos C. comprobéis D. compruebe

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ los datos del informe, todo cambiaría — "If I checked the data in the report, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. comprobáramos B. comprobarais C. comprobara D. comprobaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ que la puerta está cerrada — "We have checked that the door is closed" (present perfect) A. hemos comprobado B. he comprobado C. has comprobado D. ha comprobado

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el correo cada mañana. — "Do not check the email every morning." (negative imperative) A. compruebe B. comprobemos C. comprobéis D. compruebes

  10. Which is the gerund of comprobar, used with estar for the progressive? A. comprobé B. comprobando C. comprobado D. compruebo

Answer key

  1. compruebo — The present form for yo is compruebo.
  2. comprobó — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is comprobó.
  3. comprobábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is comprobábamos.
  4. comprobarás — The future form for tú is comprobarás.
  5. comprobaría — The conditional form for yo is comprobaría.
  6. compruebe — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is compruebe.
  7. comprobara — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is comprobara.
  8. hemos comprobado — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos comprobado.
  9. compruebes — The negative imperative form is compruebes.
  10. comprobando — The gerund of comprobar is comprobando: estoy comprobando. The participle comprobado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does comprobar mean in English?

comprobar means to check, to verify. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo compruebo la hora en el reloj — "I check the time on the clock". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is comprobar regular?

No. comprobar is a stem-changing -ar verb (o → ue). 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, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

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 I say "I check" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo comprobé los datos del informe — "Yesterday, I checked the data in the report". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo comprobaba que la puerta está cerrada — "As a child, I used to check that the door is closed". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he comprobado los datos del informe — "Today, I have checked the data in the report".

What is the difference between comprobar and verificar?

Verificar is the more formal synonym, common in official and technical language. Comprobar is the everyday verb for checking something 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.

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