compre

Compre is a Portuguese verb form derived from comprar, meaning to buy. It is most commonly encountered as the present subjunctive form and as the formal imperative for the pronoun você (and for ele/ela when used in formal address). In subordinate clauses it is used to express wishes, doubt, possibility, or obligation, for example: Quero que você compre os ingressos; É importante que eu compre o bilhete.

Grammatically, compre also functions as the affirmative imperative for the formal tú? No, the informal imperative for tu is compra. Compre is used for você (and for ele/ela in certain formal constructions) in direct commands: Compre agora. It can also appear in third-person constructions that convey a command or instruction in a formal register.

Conjugation notes: present subjunctive forms include eu compre, tu compres, ele compre, nós compremos, vós compreis, eles comprem. The form compre is therefore associated with the subjunctive mood in clauses beginning with que or quando, and with the formal imperative in direct address to você or to third persons in formal contexts. In everyday speech across Portuguese-speaking regions, compra (tu command) and você compra (you buy) are more commonly heard for simple statements of fact.

Usage variants: in Brazilian Portuguese, compre is standard for addressing você in commands and in the present subjunctive; in European Portuguese, compre is similarly used in formal address, while the informal tu imperative remains compra. The distinction between compre and compra is primarily a matter of formality and mood rather than meaning.

See also: comprar, compra, compra-vezes.