comprobar

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin comprobāre. Compare Portuguese and Catalan comprovar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kompɾoˈbaɾ/ [kõm.pɾoˈβ̞aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: com‧pro‧bar

Verb

comprobar (first-person singular present compruebo, first-person singular preterite comprobé, past participle comprobado)

1. to check, to check on, to check out, to see, to check to see (examine)

   Me olvidé de comprobar si la hora de salida de su vuelo había cambiado o no.

   I forgot to check if her flight's departure time had changed or not.

2. to verify, to ascertain, to determine, to confirm

   Synonym: confirmar

   • 2015 November 17, Carmen Pérez-Lanzac, “Las franquicias toman el centro”, in El País‎^[1]:

     En cuanto comprobó que el negocio funcionaba corrió para que no triunfara otro en su lugar.

     As soon as he confirmed that the business worked, he rushed so another one wouldn't succeed in its place.

3. to test (the accuracy or effectiveness of something)
4. to prove, to establish (i.e. demonstrate the veracity of something)
5. to note (as in realizing)
6. (reflexive) to be checked, tested, to check out
7. (reflexive) to be found, determined

Conjugation

    Conjugation of comprobar (o-ue alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			comprobar
gerund			comprobando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		comprobado		comprobada
		plural		comprobados		comprobadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	compruebo	compruebastú comprobásvos	comprueba	comprobamos	comprobáis	comprueban
	imperfect	comprobaba	comprobabas	comprobaba	comprobábamos	comprobabais	comprobaban
	preterite	comprobé	comprobaste	comprobó	comprobamos	comprobasteis	comprobaron
	future	comprobaré	comprobarás	comprobará	comprobaremos	comprobaréis	comprobarán
	conditional	comprobaría	comprobarías	comprobaría	comprobaríamos	comprobaríais	comprobarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	compruebe	compruebestú comprobésvos2	compruebe	comprobemos	comprobéis	comprueben
	imperfect (ra)	comprobara	comprobaras	comprobara	comprobáramos	comprobarais	comprobaran
	imperfect (se)	comprobase	comprobases	comprobase	comprobásemos	comprobaseis	comprobasen
	future1	comprobare	comprobares	comprobare	comprobáremos	comprobareis	comprobaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		compruebatú comprobávos	compruebe	comprobemos	comprobad	comprueben
	negative		no compruebes	no compruebe	no comprobemos	no comprobéis	no comprueben

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of comprobar (o-ue alternation)

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive comprobar
	dative	comprobarme	comprobarte	comprobarle, comprobarse	comprobarnos	comprobaros	comprobarles, comprobarse
	accusative	comprobarme	comprobarte	comprobarlo, comprobarla, comprobarse	comprobarnos	comprobaros	comprobarlos, comprobarlas, comprobarse
with gerund comprobando
	dative	comprobándome	comprobándote	comprobándole, comprobándose	comprobándonos	comprobándoos	comprobándoles, comprobándose
	accusative	comprobándome	comprobándote	comprobándolo, comprobándola, comprobándose	comprobándonos	comprobándoos	comprobándolos, comprobándolas, comprobándose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative comprueba
	dative	compruébame	compruébate	compruébale	compruébanos	not used	compruébales
	accusative	compruébame	compruébate	compruébalo, compruébala	compruébanos	not used	compruébalos, compruébalas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative comprobá
	dative	comprobame	comprobate	comprobale	comprobanos	not used	comprobales
	accusative	comprobame	comprobate	comprobalo, comprobala	comprobanos	not used	comprobalos, comprobalas
with formal second-person singular imperative compruebe
	dative	compruébeme	not used	compruébele, compruébese	compruébenos	not used	compruébeles
	accusative	compruébeme	not used	compruébelo, compruébela, compruébese	compruébenos	not used	compruébelos, compruébelas
with first-person plural imperative comprobemos
	dative	not used	comprobémoste	comprobémosle	comprobémonos	comprobémoos	comprobémosles
	accusative	not used	comprobémoste	comprobémoslo, comprobémosla	comprobémonos	comprobémoos	comprobémoslos, comprobémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative comprobad
	dative	comprobadme	not used	comprobadle	comprobadnos	comprobaos	comprobadles
	accusative	comprobadme	not used	comprobadlo, comprobadla	comprobadnos	comprobaos	comprobadlos, comprobadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative comprueben
	dative	compruébenme	not used	compruébenle	compruébennos	not used	compruébenles, compruébense
	accusative	compruébenme	not used	compruébenlo, compruébenla	compruébennos	not used	compruébenlos, compruébenlas, compruébense

Derived terms

• comprobar hacia fuera (“to check out”) (used for stories and alibis)
• volver a comprobar (“to double-check, to recheck”)

 

Related terms

• comprobación
• probar

 

Further reading

• “comprobar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014