Buying from vs. buying for
Comprar algo a alguien can mean buying it from or for someone — context decides: Le compré un regalo a mi madre (I bought my mother a present). To make it clear, use para: Compré un regalo para mi madre. Shopping as an activity is ir de compras or hacer la compra (groceries).
Indicative tenses of comprar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | comproI buy |
|---|---|
| tú | comprasyou buy |
| él/ella/usted | comprahe/she buys |
| nosotros/as | compramoswe buy |
| vosotros/as | compráisyou all buy |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | compranthey buy |
Fully regular. Compramos is both "we buy" and "we bought" — context tells you which.
Preterite indicative
| yo | compréI bought |
|---|---|
| tú | comprasteyou bought |
| él/ella/usted | compróhe/she bought |
| nosotros/as | compramoswe bought |
| vosotros/as | comprasteisyou all bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | compraronthey bought |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | comprabaI used to buy |
|---|---|
| tú | comprabasyou used to buy |
| él/ella/usted | comprabahe/she used to buy |
| nosotros/as | comprábamoswe used to buy |
| vosotros/as | comprabaisyou all used to buy |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | comprabanthey used to buy |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy comprandoI am buying |
|---|---|
| tú | estás comprandoyou are buying |
| él/ella/usted | está comprandohe/she is buying |
| nosotros/as | estamos comprandowe are buying |
| vosotros/as | estáis comprandoyou all are buying |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están comprandothey are buying |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a comprarI am going to buy |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a compraryou are going to buy |
| él/ella/usted | va a comprarhe/she is going to buy |
| nosotros/as | vamos a comprarwe are going to buy |
| vosotros/as | vais a compraryou all are going to buy |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a comprarthey are going to buy |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | compraréI will buy |
|---|---|
| tú | comprarásyou will buy |
| él/ella/usted | compraráhe/she will buy |
| nosotros/as | compraremoswe will buy |
| vosotros/as | compraréisyou all will buy |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | compraránthey will buy |
Conditional indicative
| yo | compraríaI would buy |
|---|---|
| tú | compraríasyou would buy |
| él/ella/usted | compraríahe/she would buy |
| nosotros/as | compraríamoswe would buy |
| vosotros/as | compraríaisyou all would buy |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | compraríanthey would buy |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he compradoI have bought |
|---|---|
| tú | has compradoyou have bought |
| él/ella/usted | ha compradohe/she has bought |
| nosotros/as | hemos compradowe have bought |
| vosotros/as | habéis compradoyou all have bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han compradothey have bought |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había compradoI had bought |
|---|---|
| tú | habías compradoyou had bought |
| él/ella/usted | había compradohe/she had bought |
| nosotros/as | habíamos compradowe had bought |
| vosotros/as | habíais compradoyou all had bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían compradothey had bought |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré compradoI will have bought |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás compradoyou will have bought |
| él/ella/usted | habrá compradohe/she will have bought |
| nosotros/as | habremos compradowe will have bought |
| vosotros/as | habréis compradoyou all will have bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán compradothey will have bought |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría compradoI would have bought |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías compradoyou would have bought |
| él/ella/usted | habría compradohe/she would have bought |
| nosotros/as | habríamos compradowe would have bought |
| vosotros/as | habríais compradoyou all would have bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían compradothey would have bought |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of comprar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | compre(that) I buy |
|---|---|
| tú | compres(that) you buy |
| él/ella/usted | compre(that) he/she buys |
| nosotros/as | compremos(that) we buy |
| vosotros/as | compréis(that) you all buy |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | compren(that) they buy |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | comprara(if) I bought |
|---|---|
| tú | compraras(if) you bought |
| él/ella/usted | comprara(if) he/she bought |
| nosotros/as | compráramos(if) we bought |
| vosotros/as | comprarais(if) you all bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | compraran(if) they bought |
Future subjunctive
| yo | comprare(if) I buy |
|---|---|
| tú | comprares(if) you buy |
| él/ella/usted | comprare(if) he/she buys |
| nosotros/as | compráremos(if) we buy |
| vosotros/as | comprareis(if) you all buy |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | compraren(if) they buy |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya comprado(that) I have bought |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas comprado(that) you have bought |
| él/ella/usted | haya comprado(that) he/she has bought |
| nosotros/as | hayamos comprado(that) we have bought |
| vosotros/as | hayáis comprado(that) you all have bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan comprado(that) they have bought |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera comprado(if) I had bought |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras comprado(if) you had bought |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera comprado(if) he/she had bought |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos comprado(if) we had bought |
| vosotros/as | hubierais comprado(if) you all had bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran comprado(if) they had bought |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere comprado(if) I will have bought |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres comprado(if) you will have bought |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere comprado(if) he/she will have bought |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos comprado(if) we will have bought |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis comprado(if) you all will have bought |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren comprado(if) they will have bought |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of comprar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | comprabuy! |
|---|---|
| usted | comprebuy! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | compremoslet's buy! |
| vosotros/as | compradbuy! (you all) |
| ustedes | comprenbuy! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no compresdon't buy! |
|---|---|
| usted | no compredon't buy! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no compremoslet's not buy! |
| vosotros/as | no compréisdon't buy! (you all) |
| ustedes | no comprendon't buy! (you all, formal) |
Practice comprar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and comprar.
How to use comprar
Compré pan esta mañana.
I bought bread this morning.
Le compré un regalo a mi hermana.
I bought my sister a present.
¿Dónde compras la ropa?
Where do you buy your clothes?
Siempre compro por internet.
I always buy online.
No te compro esa excusa.
I don't buy that excuse.
Example sentences with comprar
- ¿Qué compramos para la cena?What shall we buy for dinner?
- Quiero comprar un coche nuevo.I want to buy a new car.
- Ella compró las entradas.She bought the tickets.
- De niño compraba cómics.As a kid I used to buy comics.
- Compraremos la casa el año que viene.We'll buy the house next year.
- Yo no compraría eso.I wouldn't buy that.
- Compra leche, por favor.Buy milk, please.
- He comprado demasiada comida.I've bought too much food.
Verbs like comprar
Comprar follows the regular -ar pattern, just like hablar and trabajar. Its opposite, vender (to sell), is a regular -er verb.
Frequently asked questions about comprar
Is comprar regular or irregular?
Comprar is completely regular in every tense.
How do you conjugate comprar in the present tense?
compro, compras, compra, compramos, compráis, compran.
How do you conjugate comprar in the preterite?
compré, compraste, compró, compramos, comprasteis, compraron.
How do you say "to go shopping"?
Ir de compras (for fun) or hacer la compra (grocery shopping).
Is it "comprar a" or "comprar para"?
Both work. Comprar algo a alguien can mean from or for someone; para always means "for".
What is the past participle of comprar?
The past participle is comprado and the gerund is comprando.
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