Hoy he comprado higos para merendar.

In Spain Spanish, he comprado (the pretérito perfecto) is very commonly used for actions that happened earlier today or in a time period that is still seen as connected to the present.

So with hoy (today), Spaniards often say:

• Hoy he comprado higos. = I’ve bought figs today / I bought figs today.

In many parts of Latin America, people would more often say:

• Hoy compré higos.

Both are grammatical, but he comprado sounds especially natural in Spain with hoy.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb form already tells you who the subject is.

• he comprado = I have bought

The word he here is not the pronoun he from English. It is the first-person singular form of the auxiliary verb haber.

So:

• (Yo) he comprado = I have bought

Including yo is possible, but it is usually only added for emphasis or contrast:

• Yo he comprado higos, no uvas. = I bought figs, not grapes.

He comprado is a compound tense made with:

• he = the present tense of haber
• comprado = the past participle of comprar

So the pattern is:

• haber + past participle

Examples:

• he comprado = I have bought
• has comprado = you have bought
• hemos comprado = we have bought

The participle comprado does not change for gender or number here. It stays the same.

Hoy is at the beginning because it sets the time frame right away: today.

That is very natural in Spanish, but it does not have to be first. You could also say:

• He comprado higos hoy.
• He comprado hoy higos.

However, Hoy he comprado higos... is probably the most natural and neutral order if you want to highlight today.

Spanish often uses no article when talking about an indefinite quantity of something, especially things you buy, eat, drink, or have.

So:

• He comprado higos. = I bought figs / I’ve bought some figs.

This sounds natural and general.

If you add an article, the meaning changes slightly:

• He comprado los higos. = I bought the figs (specific figs already known)
• He comprado unos higos. = I bought some figs / a few figs

In your sentence, plain higos is a very normal choice.

Para merendar means to have as a snack, for an afternoon snack, or more literally in order to eat at snack time.

• para = for / in order to
• merendar = to have an afternoon snack / to eat a light meal in the late afternoon

So the whole sentence suggests:

• Today I bought figs to have for an afternoon snack.

In Spain, merendar is a very common everyday verb because la merienda is a familiar part of the daily eating schedule.

After para, Spanish often uses an infinitive when the meaning is in order to do something.

So:

• para merendar = to have as a snack / in order to snack

This focuses on the action.

You can also use a noun phrase:

• para la merienda = for the afternoon snack / for snack time

Both are possible, but they are slightly different:

• para merendar = emphasizes the action of eating
• para la merienda = emphasizes the occasion or mealtime itself

Both would sound natural in Spain.

It exists across the Spanish-speaking world, but it feels especially central in Spain, where la merienda is a very familiar meal/snack concept.

A learner from English may wonder whether it just means to snack. It can, but in Spain it often specifically suggests the late afternoon snack/light meal between lunch and dinner.

So in this sentence, para merendar sounds very culturally natural in Spain.

Higos is pronounced with a silent h:

• roughly: EE-gos

More exactly in Spanish pronunciation:

• hi sounds like ee
• gos has a hard g, as in go

So the word begins with the vowel sound, not an English h sound.

You could translate it very literally like that, but it does not sound as natural in English.

More natural English translations would be:

• Today I bought figs for an afternoon snack.
• Today I’ve bought figs to have as a snack.
• I bought figs today for a snack.

So the Spanish structure is straightforward, but the best English version depends on how natural you want it to sound.

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible, although some orders sound more natural than others.

Possible versions:

• Hoy he comprado higos para merendar.
• He comprado higos para merendar hoy.
• Para merendar, hoy he comprado higos.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis changes:

• Hoy first = emphasizes today
• Para merendar first = emphasizes the purpose
• neutral everyday version = usually Hoy he comprado higos para merendar