Introduction

Comprar means “to buy”, and this page covers exactly one thing: comprar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese 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 comprar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about comprar in the present. It means to buy, and it is completely regular: compro, compras, compra, compramos, comprais, compram. Its pretérito perfeito is comprei, compraste, comprou, and its participle is comprado. It is the verb for buying anything, from a book to a house. For example: “Ele compra um livro todos os dias.” — “He buys a book.” Everything on this page uses the forms of comprar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Comprar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu compro
tu compras
ele/ela compra
nós compramos
vós comprais
eles/elas compram
Gerund: comprando · Past participle: comprado
The gerund is comprando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Comprando um livro, aprendo muito.” — “While buying a book, I learn a lot.” The past participle is comprado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho comprado is the pretérito perfeito composto, 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 comprar is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for comprar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of comprar is formed

The present tense of comprar has six forms: eu compro, tu compras, ele compra, nós compramos, vós comprais, eles compram. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. comprar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — 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 comprar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning compramos and comprais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese 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 comprar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar 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 comprar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use comprar 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 comprar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu compro um livro todos os dias.” — “I buy a book.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about comprar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele compra um livro todos os dias.” — “He buys a book.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with comprar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós compramos um livro todos os dias.” — “We buy a book.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese 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 compras um livro todos os dias.” — “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 comprar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles compram um livro todos os dias.” — “They buy a book.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito 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 todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele compra um livro todos os dias.” — “He buys a book”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele comprou um livro ontem.” — “He bought a book”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu compro um livro todos os dias.” — “I buy a book”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu comprei um livro ontem.” — “I bought a book”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu compras um livro todos os dias.” — “You buy a book”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu compraste um livro ontem.” — “You bought a book”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: comprar 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. “Eu compro um livro todos os dias.” — “I buy a book”
  2. “Tu compras um livro todos os dias.” — “You buy a book”
  3. “Ele compra um livro todos os dias.” — “He buys a book”
  4. “Nós compramos um livro todos os dias.” — “We buy a book”
  5. “Vós comprais um livro todos os dias.” — “You buy a book”
  6. “Eles compram um livro todos os dias.” — “They buy a book”
  7. “Eu compro um livro todos os dias.” — “I buy a book”
  8. “Ele compra um livro todos os dias.” — “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: “Eu compras um livro.” Right: “Eu compro um livro todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is compro, not compras. compras is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós compro um livro.” Right: “Nós compramos um livro todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form compramos. compro belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu compro um livro todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu comprei um livro ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito comprei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu comprar um livro.” Right: “Eu compro um livro todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive comprar never takes a subject. After eu 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 eu form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compras
    • B) compro
    • C) compra
    • D) compramos

  2. What is the tu form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compro
    • B) compra
    • C) compras
    • D) compramos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compro
    • B) compras
    • C) compramos
    • D) compra

  4. What is the nós form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compramos
    • B) compro
    • C) compras
    • D) compra

  5. What is the vós form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compro
    • B) comprais
    • C) compras
    • D) compra

  6. What is the eles/elas form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compro
    • B) compras
    • C) compram
    • D) compra

  7. What is the eu form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compras
    • B) compra
    • C) compramos
    • D) compro

  8. What is the tu form of comprar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) compras
    • B) compro
    • C) compra
    • D) compramos

Answer key

  1. B) compro — the correct form is compro. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) compras — the correct form is compras. 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) compramos — the correct form is compramos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) comprais — the correct form is comprais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) compram — the correct form is compram. 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) compras — the correct form is compras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does comprar mean in English?

comprar means “to buy”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of comprar formed?

The six present forms are: eu compro, tu compras, ele compra, nós compramos, vós comprais, eles compram. comprar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of comprar?

The gerund is comprando and the past participle is comprado.

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