Comprar spanish conjugation

In this short guide, we will cover the following topics for ‘comprar’ in Spanish:

1. What does ‘Comprar’ mean?
2. ‘Comprar’ Conjugations
3. How to Use ‘Comprar’ in Spanish
4. Expressions & Idioms with ‘Comprar’
5. Synonyms of ‘Comprar’ in Spanish

What does ‘Comprar’ mean?

The verb ‘comprar’ refers to someone getting something in exchange for money. As a result, ‘comprar’ means ‘to buy’ or ‘to purchase’ and in more specific situations it can be translated as ‘to bribe’ or ‘to buy off’.

1. When talking about purchases, ‘comprar’ means ‘to buy’, ‘to purchase’ or ‘to shop’.
2. To describe a situation where someone offers money or valuable things to another person to get a benefit, usually in an illegal way, ‘comprar’ means ‘to bribe’ or ‘to buy off’.

‘Comprar’ Conjugations 

‘Comprar’ is a regular -ar verb, which means that the stem for most tenses and subjects will be ‘compr’. Given that the future and the conditional tense are conjugated with the verb in the infinitive form, instead of the stem.

Indicative

Present tense conjugation

Preterite tense conjugation

Imperfect tense conjugation

Future tense conjugation

To conjugate ‘comprar’ to the future tense you’ll need to add the corresponding endings to the infinitive verb.

Conditional tense conjugation

This tense is also conjugated by adding the corresponding endings to the infinitive verb.

Progressive Tenses

Estoy comprando los boletos por internet.
I am buying the tickets online.

Me encontré a mis amigos mientras estaban comprando ropa.
I ran into my friends while they were shopping for clothes.

Perfect Tenses

No he comprado cuadernos desde que salí de la universidad.
I haven’t bought notebooks since I got out of college.

¿Dónde están todos los platos que habíamos comprado?
Where are all the dishes we had bought?

Comprar Subjunctive Conjugations

Present subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive conjugations

Perfect subjunctive

Tienes que deshacerte de todo lo que hayas comprado hace más de diez años.
You have to get rid of everything that you bought over ten years ago.

Hubieras comprado ese vestido cuando estaba en oferta.
You should have bought that dress when it was on sale.

Imperative

Imperative conjugation

The stem for the affirmative imperative form of ‘comprar’ is regular, however, in its negative imperative form, tú and vosotros use the present subjunctive conjugation, preceded by the word No.

[‘Comprar’ imperative] + [complement]

Compren cereal, ya no hay en la casa.
Buy some cereal, we don’t have any left at home.

No + [‘comprar’ in present subjunctive] + [complement]

No compres cosas que no necesites.
Don’t buy things you don’t need.

How to Use ‘Comprar’ in Spanish with Examples

In Spanish, there are two main meanings of ‘comprar’. Although they might seem very similar, each meaning is applied in a different context: 

1. To talk about purchases
2. Describing a bribery

In the sections below you’ll be able to see how to use this verb in conversations through examples and explanations of how the sentences should be formed.

To talk about purchases

When talking about a person acquiring goods or services, ‘comprar’ means ‘to buy’ or ‘to purchase’.

[‘Comprar’ conjugated] + [complement]

Ana y Frida compraron los boletos para el concierto.
Ana and Frida bought the tickets for the concert.

¿Qué compró mi mamá en la tienda?
What did my mom buy in the story?

Diana compraría una suscripción a ese canal si no fuera tan caro.
Diana would buy a subscription to that channel if it weren’t so expensive.

In Spanish, ‘comprar’ is a pronominal verb, which means in some cases you’ll need to use reflexive or indirect pronouns to talk about things that someone buys to another person or to oneself.

[Indirect pronoun] + [‘comprar’ conjugated] + [complement] 

Melanie mecompró un regalo de cumpleaños.
Melanie boughtme a birthday present.

Gabriela lecomprará una nueva computadora a su hijo.
Gabriela will buy her son a new computer.

Te compré estas flores. 
I bought youthese flowers

[‘Comprar’ in infinitive form] + [reflexive pronoun] + [complement]

Voy a comprarme unos nuevos zapatos.
I’m going to buymyself some new shoes.

Sheila fue a comprarseunos chocolates. 
Sheila went to buy herselfsome chocolates.

Related Resource: How to Buy in Spanish | Spanish Phrases to Shop

Describing a bribery

When describing someone that is illicitly or unfairly offering money or valuable things to another person to get some kind of benefit, ‘comprar’ means ‘to bribe’ or ‘to buy off’.

[‘Comprar’ conjugated] + a + [complement]

Daniel compró al profesor con una botella de vino.
Daniel bribed the professor with a bottle of wine.

Se libró de una multa comprando al tránsito.
He got rid of a fine by bribing a traffic officer.

To describe a person or situation that has accepted bribery, you’ll need to use the past participle of ‘comprar’as an adjective.

(Noun) + [‘estar’ conjugated] + [past participle of ‘comprar’]

Este árbitro está comprado.
This referee was bribed.

Las elecciones estuvieron compradas.
The elections were bought off.

Comprar Expressions & Idioms

There are very useful expressions and idioms that use this verb and can help you have a better understanding of the different ways in which you can apply ‘comprar’.

Comprar a plazos refers to a type of purchase in which the person makes small payments over a period of time. It means ‘to pay in installments’.

Comprar por comprar is used to describe a person that buys things they don’t need. It can be translated as ‘to buy for the sake of buying’.

Comprar el mandado means ‘to go grocery shopping’.

Synonyms of ‘Comprar’ in Spanish

Adquirir refers to a person obtaining something new. Its direct translation is ‘to acquire’ and it’s very formal so it’s not frequently used.

Sobornar translates as ‘to bribe’ and it’s used in more formal conversations and contexts.

Ir de compras means ‘to go shopping’. It usually describes someone shopping for things that are not essential like clothes or makeup.

Bueno, Patty Hewes tiene el dinero para comprar esta información.

Well, Patty Hewes has the money to buy this information.

Siena ofrece diferentes que usted puede comprar en cualquier museo.

Siena offers different that you can buy in any museum.

Espera hasta la primera semana para comprar materiales o libros.

Wait until the first week to buy materials or books.

Usted puede venir y comprar libremente con el mínimo coste.

You can come and purchase freely with the minimum cost.

Un buen lugar para comprar glicerina es su farmacia local.

A good place to buy glycerin is your local pharmacy.

Y ahora, la mayoría de ellos están listos para comprar.

And now, a majority of them are ready to buy.

Debe comprar un mínimo de 2 entradas con el crédito.

Must purchase a minimum of 2 tickets with the credit.

Recoge zanahorias y comprar mejoras con ellos en la tienda.

Collect carrots and buy upgrades with them in the shop.

Aquí, usted debe comprar el suplemento en su sitio oficial.

Here, you must buy the supplement on their official website.

Para más información o para comprar una copia, visite andrewsstudybible.com.

For more information or to purchase a copy, visit andrewsstudybible.com.

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Spanish Verb:comprar    
English Translation:to buy, purchase

Notes: Regular.

Indicative

	inglés	yo	tú	él/ella/usted	nosotros/-as	vosotros/-as	ellos/ellas/ustedes
Present	I buy, am buying	compro	compras	compra	compramos	compráis	compran

Present PerfectI have bought he comprado has comprado ha comprado hemos comprado habéis comprado han comprado

ImperfectI was buying, used to buy, bought compraba comprabas compraba comprábamos comprabais compraban

PreteriteI bought compré compraste compró compramos comprasteis compraron

OR

OR

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OR

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OR

OR

Translated sentences containing 'comprar'

No lo compreís.

You guys don't buy it.

Quiero comprar una camisa.

I want to buy a shirt.

Esos los compro.

I buy those.

Gracias por comprar en...

Thank you for buying at...

Vinieron a comprar un infiernillo.

They came to buy a kerosene stove.

María va a comprar un regalo para mí.

Mary is going to buy a gift for me.

María va a comprar un regalo para ti.

Mary is going to buy a gift for you.

Comprar estas cosas.

Buy these things.

María va a comprar un regalo para él.

Mary is going to buy a gift for him.

María va a comprar un regalo para ella.

Mary is going to buy a gift for her.

[ more Spanish sentences with comprar]

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Spanish Verb Conjugations

  Comprar is a regular -ar verb.