Comprar
to buy
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | compro | Eu compro pão fresco toda manhã. — I buy fresh bread every morning. |
| você/ele/ela | compra | Ela compra muito online. — She buys a lot online. |
| nós | compramos | Nós compramos na feira todo sábado. — We shop at the market every Saturday. |
| eles/elas | compram | Eles compram tudo em promoção. — They buy everything on sale. |
The neighbourhood market is Saturday's ritual. I always buy from the same fruit stall — Seu Zé already knows what I want. My neighbour Graça buys fresh herbs and coalho cheese every week without fail. We sometimes shop together and share the walk back. The older residents still buy on credit — it's decades of trust.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | comprei | Eu comprei um apartamento novo. — I bought a new flat. |
| você/ele/ela | comprou | Ela comprou o vestido que estava de olho há meses. — She bought the dress she'd had her eye on for months. |
| nós | compramos | Nós compramos mais do que precisávamos. — We bought more than we needed. |
| eles/elas | compraram | Eles compraram a empresa inteira. — They bought the entire company. |
Black Friday was an organised disaster. I bought three things I didn't need and one I genuinely did. My friend Sofia bought a new TV because "it was cheap" — she didn't even have space in her living room. We shopped together on a video call, each at home, cheering each other on. The websites bought advertising everywhere — and it worked.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | comprava | Eu comprava CD toda semana nos anos 90. — I used to buy a CD every week in the 90s. |
| você/ele/ela | comprava | Ela comprava revistas na banca toda segunda. — She used to buy magazines at the newsstand every Monday. |
| nós | comprávamos | Nós comprávamos tudo no centro da cidade. — We used to buy everything in the city centre. |
| eles/elas | compravam | Eles compravam fiado na mercearia. — They used to buy on credit at the corner shop. |
Before the internet, shopping was a different kind of adventure. I used to buy books only at the bookshops in the city centre — it took hours choosing. My mum used to buy fabric on Rua 25 de Março and sew her own clothes. We used to buy what we needed and nothing more — credit cards were a rare thing. The shopkeepers used to buy wholesale and pass it on to neighbourhood customers at a fair margin.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou comprar | Vou comprar um presente para ela hoje. — I'm going to buy her a present today. |
| você/ele/ela | vai comprar | Ele vai comprar uma moto nova. — He's going to buy a new motorbike. |
| nós | vamos comprar | Vamos comprar uma casa no interior. — We're going to buy a house in the countryside. |
| eles/elas | vão comprar | Eles vão comprar os ingressos hoje. — They're going to buy the tickets today. |
Christmas is coming and the list is long. I'm going to buy the presents this weekend — without leaving it to the last minute. My sister is going to buy everything online and then complain about the delivery cost. We're going to buy the panetone together at the market hall next week. The children are going to buy symbolic gifts with their piggybank money — that part is the most beautiful.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | comprarei | Comprarei os materiais assim que o orçamento for aprovado. — I will buy the materials as soon as the budget is approved. |
| você/ele/ela | comprará | A empresa comprará a concorrente no próximo trimestre. — The company will acquire the competitor next quarter. |
| nós | compraremos | Compraremos equipamentos mais modernos em breve. — We will buy more modern equipment soon. |
| eles/elas | comprarão | Os investidores comprarão ações da empresa. — The investors will buy shares in the company. |
The investment prospectus is clear: "The holding will buy the remaining assets by the end of the fiscal year. We will buy strategic stakes in four emerging markets. The partner funds will buy additional units in the second round. I will personally buy shares in the company as a sign of confidence in the project."
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | compraria | Eu compraria aquela casa se pudesse. — I would buy that house if I could. |
| você/ele/ela | compraria | Ela compraria tudo na vitrine se entrasse. — She would buy everything in the window if she went in. |
| nós | compraríamos | Compraríamos mais se o preço fosse justo. — We would buy more if the price were fair. |
| eles/elas | comprariam | Eles comprariam o terreno hoje se tivessem o dinheiro. — They would buy the land today if they had the money. |
If money were no issue, everyone has their dream. I would buy a small bookshop in a historic town. My husband would buy a smallholding with a lake and let everything grow wild. We would buy time — the one asset nobody can sell. The children would buy every experience the books describe. In the end, you realise that the most valuable things were never for sale.
Comprar across the tenses
A short story using comprar in multiple tenses
Quando era jovem, minha avó comprava tecido a metro e costurava tudo. Comprava apenas o essencial — cada centavo tinha destino certo. Nunca compravam por impulso na família dela.
Hoje eu sou diferente — mas tento me lembrar dela. Compro menos do que antes, com mais cuidado. Ontem comprei um vestido que já estava procurando há três meses, não por impulso. Compramos juntas numa brechó do bairro — ela teria adorado o lugar.
No próximo mês, vou comprar uma máquina de costura. "Se aprender a usar direito, comprarei o tecido e farei as próprias peças," eu me prometo.
Perguntei a mim mesma o que ela compraria hoje. Provavelmente nada. Ou tudo que precisasse — e não um centavo a mais.
When she was young, my grandmother used to buy fabric by the metre and sew everything herself. She used to buy only the essentials — every penny had a clear purpose. In her family, they never used to buy on impulse. Today I'm different — but I try to remember her. I buy less than before, with more care. Yesterday I bought a dress I'd been looking for three months, not on a whim. We shopped together at a second-hand shop in the neighbourhood — she would have loved the place. Next month I'm going to buy a sewing machine. "If I learn to use it properly, I will buy the fabric and make my own things," I promise myself. I asked myself what she would buy today. Probably nothing. Or everything she needed — and not a penny more.
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