Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Comprarás lechuga fresca para la ensalada, ¿verdad? - You will buy fresh lettuce for the salad, right?

Comprarás is the simple future tense (futuro simple) in the second person singular (tú form). It literally means “you will buy.” In Latin American Spanish, the simple future often conveys certainty, a promise or a formal plan.

Why don’t we say tú comprarás?

Spanish is a pro-drop language, which means subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the subject. Here, the ending -ás makes it clear you’re talking to tú, so adding tú is redundant and usually sounds more emphatic or confrontational.

Why is the adjective fresca placed after lechuga instead of before?

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives typically follow the noun:

lechuga fresca = “fresh lettuce.”
Placing fresca before lechuga (⟶ fresca lechuga) is possible but would sound poetic, emphatic or stylistically marked, not the neutral everyday order.

What does para express in para la ensalada? Why not por?

Para indicates purpose or intended use: “for the salad” (in order to prepare it).

para la ensalada = “for (the purpose of) the salad.”
Using por would suggest motive or reason (“because of the salad”) or movement “through,” which doesn’t fit here.

What is the function of ¿verdad? at the end of the sentence?

¿Verdad? is a tag question inviting confirmation, like “right?” or “isn’t it?” in English. It seeks agreement from the listener:

“You will buy fresh lettuce for the salad, right?”

Why is there only an inverted question mark before verdad and not at the very start of the sentence?

The main clause (“Comprarás lechuga fresca para la ensalada”) is a statement, not a question. Only the tag ¿verdad? is interrogative, so Spanish punctuation uses question marks only around that part: …ensalada, ¿verdad?

In everyday Latin American Spanish, wouldn’t people say vas a comprar instead of comprarás?

Yes. The periphrastic future (vas a comprar) is more common in spoken Latin American Spanish for near-future actions or plans:

Vas a comprar lechuga fresca para la ensalada, ¿verdad?
The simple future (comprarás) is still correct but often sounds more formal, certain or like a promise.

Why does comprarás have an accent mark on the last syllable?

Because Spanish words ending in -s are normally stressed on the penultimate syllable. Here the stress falls on the last syllable (com-pra-RÁS), so an accent mark is needed to indicate the irregular stress and distinguish it from similar forms (e.g., the imperfect subjunctive compraras without an accent).