“Comprare” – Conjugation of the Italian Verb

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When learning Italian, mastering verb conjugations is essential for effective communication. One such verb that holds significance in everyday conversation is “comprare”, meaning “to buy.” Understanding its conjugation is vital for expressing various actions related to purchasing. In this article, we'll look into the conjugation of “comprare” across different tenses and moods in Italian grammar.

Present Tense (Presente)

In the present tense, “comprare” is conjugated as follows:

  • Io compro (I buy)
  • Tu compri (You buy)
  • Egli/ella compra (He/she buys)
  • Noi compriamo (We buy)
  • Voi comprate (You all buy)
  • Essi/esse comprano (They buy)

Past Tenses (Passato Prossimo, Imperfetto, Trapassato Prossimo)

Passato Prossimo

The passato prossimo tense, used for actions completed in the past, is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb “avere” (to have) or “essere” (to be) and the past participle of “comprare” (comprato).

  • Io ho comprato (I have bought)
  • Tu hai comprato (You have bought)
  • Egli/ella ha comprato (He/she has bought)
  • Noi abbiamo comprato (We have bought)
  • Voi avete comprato (You all have bought)
  • Essi/esse hanno comprato (They have bought)

Imperfetto

The imperfetto tense, used for habitual or ongoing actions in the past, is formed by dropping the infinitive ending “-are” from “comprare” and adding the following endings:

  • Io compravo (I used to buy)
  • Tu compravi (You used to buy)
  • Egli/ella comprava (He/she used to buy)
  • Noi compravamo (We used to buy)
  • Voi compravate (You all used to buy)
  • Essi/esse compravano (They used to buy)

Trapassato Prossimo

The trapassato prossimo tense, used to indicate an action that occurred before another action in the past, is formed with the imperfetto of the auxiliary verb “avere” or “essere” and the past participle of “comprare”.

  • Io avevo comprato (I had bought)
  • Tu avevi comprato (You had bought)
  • Egli/ella aveva comprato (He/she had bought)
  • Noi avevamo comprato (We had bought)
  • Voi avevate comprato (You all had bought)
  • Essi/esse avevano comprato (They had bought)

Future Tenses (Futuro Semplice, Futuro Anteriore)

Futuro Semplice

The futuro semplice tense, used to express actions that will happen in the future, is formed by adding the following endings to the infinitive stem of “comprare”:

  • Io comprerò (I will buy)
  • Tu comprerai (You will buy)
  • Egli/ella comprerà (He/she will buy)
  • Noi compreremo (We will buy)
  • Voi comprerete (You all will buy)
  • Essi/esse compreranno (They will buy)

Futuro Anteriore

The futuro anteriore tense, used to indicate an action that will have occurred before another action in the future, is formed with the future tense of the auxiliary verb “avere” or “essere” and the past participle of “comprare”.

  • Io avrò comprato (I will have bought)
  • Tu avrai comprato (You will have bought)
  • Egli/ella avrà comprato (He/she will have bought)
  • Noi avremo comprato (We will have bought)
  • Voi avrete comprato (You all will have bought)
  • Essi/esse avranno comprato (They will have bought)

Subjunctive Mood (Congiuntivo)

In the subjunctive mood, used to express doubt, possibility, or uncertainty, “comprare” is conjugated as follows:

  • Che io compri (That I may buy)
  • Che tu compri (That you may buy)
  • Che egli/ella compri (That he/she may buy)
  • Che noi compriamo (That we may buy)
  • Che voi compriate (That you all may buy)
  • Che essi/esse comprino (That they may buy)

Conditional Mood (Condizionale)

In the conditional mood, used to express hypothetical situations or polite requests, “comprare” is conjugated as follows:

  • Io comprerei (I would buy)
  • Tu compreresti (You would buy)
  • Egli/ella comprerebbe (He/she would buy)
  • Noi compreremmo (We would buy)
  • Voi comprereste (You all would buy)
  • Essi/esse comprerebbero (They would buy)

Imperative Mood (Imperativo)

In the imperative mood, used for giving commands or making requests, “comprare” takes the following forms:

  • Tu compra (Buy!)
  • Noi compriamo (Let's buy!)
  • Voi comprate (You all buy!)

Understanding the conjugation of “comprare” is fundamental for Italian learners to express actions related to buying accurately and fluently in various contexts. Practice and exposure to different sentences will solidify these conjugations in your Italian language repertoire.

Examples of Usage

Here are some examples of how the verb “comprare” (to buy) can be used in different contexts:

  1. Present Tense:

    • Io compro un libro ogni settimana. (I buy a book every week.)
    • Lei compra le mele al mercato. (She buys apples at the market.)
    • Noi compriamo il pane fresco ogni mattina. (We buy fresh bread every morning.)

  2. Passato Prossimo:

    • Ho comprato un regalo per il mio amico ieri. (I bought a gift for my friend yesterday.)
    • Hai comprato le scarpe nuove la settimana scorsa? (Did you buy the new shoes last week?)
    • Abbiamo comprato i biglietti per il concerto in anticipo. (We bought the tickets for the concert in advance.)

  3. Imperfetto:

    • Da bambino, compravo sempre le caramelle al negozio del quartiere. (As a child, I used to always buy candies at the neighborhood store.)
    • Quando abitavo in città, compravi il giornale ogni mattina. (When I lived in the city, you used to buy the newspaper every morning.)
    • Mentre studiavamo, compravamo spesso caffè al bar accanto all'università. (While we were studying, we used to often buy coffee at the bar next to the university.)

  4. Future Tense:

    • Domani comprerò un nuovo cellulare. (Tomorrow I will buy a new cell phone.)
    • La prossima settimana comprerai i biglietti per il film? (Will you buy the movie tickets next week?)
    • Dopo la riunione, compreremo il pranzo al ristorante vicino all'ufficio. (After the meeting, we will buy lunch at the restaurant near the office.)

  5. Subjunctive Mood:

    • Spero che tu compri il regalo giusto per la festa. (I hope you buy the right gift for the party.)
    • È importante che lui compri il biglietto del treno in tempo. (It's important that he buys the train ticket on time.)
    • Non credo che noi compriamo il vestito rosso. (I don't think we will buy the red dress.)

  6. Conditional Mood:

    • Se avessi più soldi, comprerei una macchina nuova. (If I had more money, I would buy a new car.)
    • Vorrei comprare una casa in montagna se potessi. (I would like to buy a house in the mountains if I could.)
    • Se fossimo in vacanza, compreremmo souvenir per i nostri amici. (If we were on vacation, we would buy souvenirs for our friends.)

  7. Imperative Mood:

    • Compra il latte quando vai al supermercato, per favore. (Buy milk when you go to the supermarket, please.)
    • Compriamo il biglietto del treno prima che sia troppo tardi. (Let's buy the train ticket before it's too late.)
    • Comprate il pane fresco per la cena stasera! (Buy fresh bread for dinner tonight!)