Spanish · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "comprar" in Spanish?

Q: How do you pronounce comprar in Spanish?

comprar is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /komˈpɾaɾ/. It means “to buy.” kohm-PRAR, stressed at the end, with an unaspirated p and a single tapped r.

kohm-PRAR, stressed at the end, with an unaspirated p and a single tapped r.

comprar /komˈpɾaɾ/

Two syllables, com-PRAR, beat at the end from the r ending. Entirely regular, so the conjugation follows the default rule without exception: COM-pro, COM-pras, com-PRA-mos. Worth noting that the noun "compra" (a purchase) is stressed COM-pra, front-loaded, because it ends in a vowel — same letters, different rhythm.

Listen: comprar

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Sound it out

com A hard k with no puff of air, a pure "oh", and an m. The vowel is unstressed but stays rounded — English would flatten it to "kuhm".

pra A p with no aspiration, joined immediately to one tap of the r, then a wide-open "ah" carrying the stress.

r A second single tap to close the word cleanly.

Hear it in a sentence

Necesito comprar leche.

I need to buy milk.

Listen: Necesito comprar leche.

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"Necesito comprar leche" chains two verbs with no preposition between them, which is standard when the first is "necesitar". "Leche" is two beats, LEH-cheh, with the ch pronounced as in English "church" and both e vowels short and identical. Say "comprar leche" and the final tap links straight into the l.

Where English speakers slip

The pr cluster tempts English speakers into curling the r, which muffles the p and produces "kum-PRAHR" with a swallowed first syllable. Keep the o rounded, the p quiet, and the r a single forward flick. The final r wants the English treatment too, stretching the "ah" into a long American "ar" — the vowel should finish cleanly before the tongue moves.