Comprar means to buy, and it is a perfectly regular -ar verb in every tense and mood — no stem changes, no spelling shifts, no irregular participle. It anchors a whole semantic field (shopping, paying, gifting), and learners encounter it on day one. The grammatical challenge is not the conjugation but the syntax around it: comprar takes a direct object (the thing bought) plus an optional indirect object (the person for whom you buy it), and English speakers routinely scramble the prepositions involved.
Non-finite forms
| Form | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitivo | comprar | to buy |
| Infinitivo compuesto | haber comprado | to have bought |
| Gerundio | comprando | buying |
| Gerundio compuesto | habiendo comprado | having bought |
| Participio | comprado | bought |
The participle comprado is fully regular and shows up in every compound tense. As an adjective it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: un coche comprado de segunda mano, unas zapatillas compradas online.
Indicative — simple tenses
Presente
| yo | tú | él/ella/usted | nosotros | vosotros | ellos/ellas/ustedes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compro | compras | compra | compramos | compráis | compran |
The vosotros form compráis needs an accent on the á — the -áis ending is always stressed on the first vowel. Note that the nosotros form compramos is identical in indicative and preterite; only context disambiguates.
Siempre compro el pan en la panadería de la esquina.
I always buy the bread at the bakery on the corner.
¿Vosotros compráis online o todavía vais a tiendas físicas?
Do you guys buy online or do you still go to physical stores?
Pretérito perfecto simple
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compré | compraste | compró | compramos | comprasteis | compraron |
The accents on compré and compró mark the stress on the final syllable. Without them, the default stress would land on the penult and the meaning would shift (or, in compro, become the present tense).
El año pasado mis padres compraron un piso en Valencia.
Last year my parents bought a flat in Valencia.
Pretérito imperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compraba | comprabas | compraba | comprábamos | comprabais | compraban |
-Ar verbs build the imperfect on -aba-. Only the nosotros form comprábamos carries a written accent, on the á — that accent is mandatory.
De pequeña mi madre me compraba un cromo cada vez que sacaba buenas notas.
When I was little my mother used to buy me a sticker every time I got good marks.
Futuro simple
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compraré | comprarás | comprará | compraremos | compraréis | comprarán |
Cuando cobre la nómina, me compraré unos auriculares nuevos.
When I get my paycheck, I'll buy myself some new headphones.
Condicional
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compraría | comprarías | compraría | compraríamos | compraríais | comprarían |
Yo no compraría ese coche ni regalado, da demasiados problemas.
I wouldn't buy that car even if they gave it away, it has too many problems.
The reflexive form comprarse (me compré, te compras) is extremely common in colloquial Spain — it signals that the buyer keeps the item for themselves, with a faint flavor of indulgence: me he comprado un móvil nuevo (I treated myself to a new phone).
Indicative — compound tenses
All compound tenses pair haber with the regular participle comprado.
Pretérito perfecto compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| he comprado | has comprado | ha comprado | hemos comprado | habéis comprado | han comprado |
This is the Spain default for purchases earlier today or within any time frame perceived as still open. Esta mañana he comprado el periódico is natural in Madrid; in Mexico City the same speaker would tend toward Esta mañana compré el periódico.
Esta mañana he comprado pan y leche, no hace falta que vayas tú.
I've bought bread and milk this morning, you don't need to go.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| había comprado | habías comprado | había comprado | habíamos comprado | habíais comprado | habían comprado |
Cuando llegué a la fiesta, alguien ya había comprado el regalo.
By the time I got to the party, someone had already bought the present.
Futuro compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habré comprado | habrás comprado | habrá comprado | habremos comprado | habréis comprado | habrán comprado |
Para Reyes ya habremos comprado todos los regalos, espero.
By Three Kings' Day we'll have bought all the presents, I hope.
Condicional compuesto
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| habría comprado | habrías comprado | habría comprado | habríamos comprado | habríais comprado | habrían comprado |
Si me lo hubieras dicho antes, habría comprado dos entradas.
If you'd told me earlier, I would have bought two tickets.
Subjunctive — simple tenses
Presente de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compre | compres | compre | compremos | compréis | compren |
The present subjunctive of -ar verbs swaps the indicative -a- core for -e-. The vosotros form compréis carries an accent on the é.
Mi madre quiere que compremos un pollo para el domingo.
My mother wants us to buy a chicken for Sunday.
Imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se)
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | comprara | compraras | comprara | compráramos | comprarais | compraran |
| -se | comprase | comprases | comprase | comprásemos | compraseis | comprasen |
Both endings are interchangeable. The -ra set dominates in spoken Spain; -se feels more formal or literary.
Le pedí que comprara las entradas con antelación, pero no me hizo caso.
I asked her to buy the tickets in advance, but she didn't listen to me.
Subjunctive — compound tenses
Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| haya comprado | hayas comprado | haya comprado | hayamos comprado | hayáis comprado | hayan comprado |
Ojalá hayas comprado el vino tinto y no el blanco.
I hope you've bought the red wine and not the white.
Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo
| yo | tú | él | nosotros | vosotros | ellos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -ra | hubiera comprado | hubieras comprado | hubiera comprado | hubiéramos comprado | hubierais comprado | hubieran comprado |
| -se | hubiese comprado | hubieses comprado | hubiese comprado | hubiésemos comprado | hubieseis comprado | hubiesen comprado |
Si hubiera comprado el billete antes, me habría salido la mitad de barato.
If I'd bought the ticket earlier, it would have been half the price.
Imperative
The peninsular affirmative vosotros form comprad is mandatory in Spain. The negative imperative borrows from the present subjunctive throughout.
| Form | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tú | compra | no compres |
| usted | compre | no compre |
| nosotros | compremos | no compremos |
| vosotros | comprad | no compréis |
| ustedes | compren | no compren |
Comprad lo que haga falta, ya os lo devuelvo.
Buy whatever you need, I'll pay you back.
No compres esa marca, es una estafa.
Don't buy that brand, it's a rip-off.
When pronouns attach to an affirmative imperative, the resulting word usually needs a written accent: cómpralo, cómpratelo, cómprenselo. The reflexive vosotros drops the -d before -os: compraos algo de comer.
Cómpratelo, te lo mereces.
Buy it for yourself, you deserve it.
Comprar + indirect object: the syntax that catches learners
The thing bought is the direct object; the person you buy it for is the indirect object, marked with a and usually doubled by an indirect-object pronoun. English collapses these — I bought her a book — and learners systematically drop the Spanish pronoun or invert the order:
- Le compré un libro a mi hermana. — I bought my sister a book.
- Le he comprado un regalo al niño. — I've bought the boy a present.
- Te voy a comprar lo que quieras. — I'm going to buy you whatever you want.
The pronoun (le, te, me, os, nos, les) is the part learners miss. Even when the full noun phrase appears (a mi hermana), the pronoun is still required in standard usage.
¿Le has comprado ya el regalo a tu padre?
Have you bought your father's present yet?
Me he comprado un abrigo nuevo para el invierno.
I've bought myself a new coat for winter.
High-frequency collocations from peninsular Spain
| Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|
| ir a comprar | to go shopping (for groceries / errands) |
| comprar de oferta | to buy on sale |
| comprar de segunda mano | to buy second-hand |
| comprar a plazos | to buy in installments |
| comprar al contado | to pay in cash up front |
| comprar al por mayor | to buy wholesale |
| comprar por internet / online | to buy online |
| vender la moto / comprar la moto a alguien | (informal) to sell someone on a story / to buy into it |
Voy un momento a comprar, ¿necesitas algo?
I'm just popping out to do some shopping — do you need anything?
Me he comprado el portátil a plazos para no descapitalizarme.
I bought the laptop in installments so I wouldn't be left short of cash.
The classic English-speaker error
English uses buy with two unmarked objects: buy me a coffee. Spanish requires the recipient to be marked: the indirect-object pronoun me/te/le/nos/os/les must appear, and any explicit recipient noun phrase must be introduced by a:
- ❌ Compra mí un café — wrong; mí alone cannot stand in as the recipient.
- ✅ Cómprame un café — buy me a coffee.
- ❌ Compra María un regalo — wrong; María needs a.
- ✅ Cómprale un regalo a María — buy María a present.
The doubled pronoun (le … a María) feels redundant to English speakers, but in Spanish it's the natural pattern; dropping the le sounds unnatural except in very formal writing.
Common Mistakes
❌ Compro un regalo a mi madre.
Without the doubled pronoun the sentence sounds incomplete in Spain — add le: le compro un regalo a mi madre.
✅ Le compro un regalo a mi madre.
I'm buying my mother a present.
❌ Comprais demasiado online.
The vosotros present needs an accent: compráis.
✅ Compráis demasiado online.
You (pl.) buy too much online.
❌ Compren vosotros las entradas.
The vosotros affirmative imperative is comprad, not compren.
✅ Comprad vosotros las entradas.
You (pl.) buy the tickets.
❌ Quiero que compras pan.
Querer que triggers the subjunctive — compres, not compras.
✅ Quiero que compres pan.
I want you to buy bread.
❌ Ayer he comprado el billete.
With ayer (closed time frame), peninsular Spanish uses the simple preterite.
✅ Ayer compré el billete.
Yesterday I bought the ticket.
Key Takeaways
- Comprar is the canonical regular -ar verb — its endings work for thousands of other -ar verbs.
- The vosotros affirmative imperative is comprad; the negative is no compréis.
- Written accents on compráis, compré, compró, compráramos are mandatory.
- Always include the indirect-object pronoun (le, me, te, etc.) when buying for someone, even when the recipient is named.
- Comprarse (me compré un coche) emphasizes that the buyer keeps the item, often with an air of indulgence.
Now practice Spanish
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Spanish→Related Topics
- Presente de indicativo: verbos regulares en -arA1 — The six present-indicative endings for regular -ar verbs in peninsular Spanish, including the all-important vosotros form habláis.
- Las tres conjugaciones: -ar, -er, -irA1 — The three Spanish conjugation classes side by side — endings, relative frequency, and where -er and -ir actually diverge.
- Todos los tiempos de un vistazoA2 — A single-page master reference of every Spanish tense and mood, with a sample regular verb fully conjugated, the name in English and Spanish, the CEFR level it appears at, and what each tense is for.
- Tiempos compuestos: referencia completaB1 — A complete reference for every Spanish compound tense — present perfect, pluperfect, preterite anterior, future perfect, conditional perfect, perfect subjunctive, pluperfect subjunctive — with full vosotros paradigms and notes on how peninsular Spanish leans heavily on the present perfect.
- Imperativo afirmativo de vosotros: ¡hablad!A2 — The peninsular affirmative vosotros command — replace the -r of the infinitive with -d, drop the -d before reflexives, and never substitute the infinitive.