compensar

Catalan

Alternative forms

• compasar, compesar

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin compēnsāre, from com- (“together”) + pēnsō (“to weigh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kum.pənˈsa]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [kom.pənˈsa]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kom.penˈsaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a(ɾ)

Verb

compensar (first-person singular present compenso, first-person singular preterite compensí, past participle compensat); root stress: (Central) /ɛ/; (Valencia) /e/; (Balearic) /ə/

1. (transitive) to compensate

Conjugation

    Conjugation of compensar (first conjugation)

infinitive			compensar
gerund			compensant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		compensat		compensada
		plural		compensats		compensades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	compenso	compenses	compensa	compensem	compenseu	compensen
	imperfect	compensava	compensaves	compensava	compensàvem	compensàveu	compensaven
	future	compensaré	compensaràs	compensarà	compensarem	compensareu	compensaran
	preterite	compensí	compensares	compensà	compensàrem	compensàreu	compensaren
	conditional	compensaria	compensaries	compensaria	compensaríem	compensaríeu	compensarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	compensi	compensis	compensi	compensem	compenseu	compensin
	imperfect	compensés	compensessis	compensés	compenséssim	compenséssiu	compensessin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	compensa	compensi	compensem	compenseu	compensin
	negative (no)	—	no compensis	no compensi	no compensem	no compenseu	no compensin

Related terms

• compensación

Further reading

• “compensar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “compensar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “compensar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “compensar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin compēnsāre (“to weight together one thing against another, to balance, to make good, later also to shorten, to spare”), from com- (“together”) + pensō (“weigh”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsa(ʁ)/ [kõ.pẽˈsa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsa(ʁ)/ [kõ.pẽˈsa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsa(ʁ)/ [kõ.pẽˈsa(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /kõ.pẽˈsa.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: com‧pen‧sar

Verb

compensar (first-person singular present compenso, first-person singular preterite compensei, past participle compensado)

1. (transitive) to pay, pay off, be worthwhile or profitable

   Synonym: valer a pena

2. (transitive) to compensate

   Synonyms: indenizar, recompensar, remunerar, reparar

Conjugation

    Conjugation of compensar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	compensar
Personal	compensar	compensares	compensar	compensarmos	compensardes	compensarem
Gerund
	compensando
Past participle
Masculine	compensado			compensados
Feminine	compensada			compensadas
Indicative
Present	compenso	compensas	compensa	compensamos	compensais	compensam
Imperfect	compensava	compensavas	compensava	compensávamos	compensáveis	compensavam
Preterite	compensei	compensaste	compensou	compensamos1, compensámos2	compensastes	compensaram
Pluperfect	compensara	compensaras	compensara	compensáramos	compensáreis	compensaram
Future	compensarei	compensarás	compensará	compensaremos	compensareis	compensarão
Conditional	compensaria	compensarias	compensaria	compensaríamos	compensaríeis	compensariam
Subjunctive
Present	compense	compenses	compense	compensemos	compenseis	compensem
Imperfect	compensasse	compensasses	compensasse	compensássemos	compensásseis	compensassem
Future	compensar	compensares	compensar	compensarmos	compensardes	compensarem
Imperative
Affirmative		compensa	compense	compensemos	compensai	compensem
Negative (não)		não compenses	não compense	não compensemos	não compenseis	não compensem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Related terms

• compensação
• compensado
• compensador
• compensativo
• compensatório
• compensável

Further reading

• “compensar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “compensar”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
• “compensar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “compensar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “compensar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025, →ISBN
• “compensar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin compēnsāre, from com- (“together”) + pensō (“weigh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kompenˈsaɾ/ [kõm.pẽnˈsaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: com‧pen‧sar

Verb

compensar (first-person singular present compenso, first-person singular preterite compensé, past participle compensado)

1. (transitive) to compensate, make up for
2. (transitive) to compensate, remunerate
3. (pronominal) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Conjugation

    Conjugation of compensar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			compensar
gerund			compensando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		compensado		compensada
		plural		compensados		compensadas
		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	compenso	compensastú compensásvos	compensa	compensamos	compensáis	compensan
	imperfect	compensaba	compensabas	compensaba	compensábamos	compensabais	compensaban
	preterite	compensé	compensaste	compensó	compensamos	compensasteis	compensaron
	future	compensaré	compensarás	compensará	compensaremos	compensaréis	compensarán
	conditional	compensaría	compensarías	compensaría	compensaríamos	compensaríais	compensarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	compense	compensestú compensésvos2	compense	compensemos	compenséis	compensen
	imperfect (ra)	compensara	compensaras	compensara	compensáramos	compensarais	compensaran
	imperfect (se)	compensase	compensases	compensase	compensásemos	compensaseis	compensasen
	future1	compensare	compensares	compensare	compensáremos	compensareis	compensaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		compensatú compensávos	compense	compensemos	compensad	compensen
	negative		no compenses	no compense	no compensemos	no compenséis	no compensen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of compensar

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 compensar	dative	compensarme	compensarte	compensarle, compensarse	compensarnos	compensaros	compensarles, compensarse
	accusative	compensarme	compensarte	compensarlo, compensarla, compensarse	compensarnos	compensaros	compensarlos, compensarlas, compensarse
with gerund compensando	dative	compensándome	compensándote	compensándole, compensándose	compensándonos	compensándoos	compensándoles, compensándose
	accusative	compensándome	compensándote	compensándolo, compensándola, compensándose	compensándonos	compensándoos	compensándolos, compensándolas, compensándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative compensa	dative	compénsame	compénsate	compénsale	compénsanos	not used	compénsales
	accusative	compénsame	compénsate	compénsalo, compénsala	compénsanos	not used	compénsalos, compénsalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative compensá	dative	compensame	compensate	compensale	compensanos	not used	compensales
	accusative	compensame	compensate	compensalo, compensala	compensanos	not used	compensalos, compensalas
with formal second-person singular imperative compense	dative	compénseme	not used	compénsele, compénsese	compénsenos	not used	compénseles
	accusative	compénseme	not used	compénselo, compénsela, compénsese	compénsenos	not used	compénselos, compénselas
with first-person plural imperative compensemos	dative	not used	compensémoste	compensémosle	compensémonos	compensémoos	compensémosles
	accusative	not used	compensémoste	compensémoslo, compensémosla	compensémonos	compensémoos	compensémoslos, compensémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative compensad	dative	compensadme	not used	compensadle	compensadnos	compensaos	compensadles
	accusative	compensadme	not used	compensadlo, compensadla	compensadnos	compensaos	compensadlos, compensadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative compensen	dative	compénsenme	not used	compénsenle	compénsennos	not used	compénsenles, compénsense
	accusative	compénsenme	not used	compénsenlo, compénsenla	compénsennos	not used	compénsenlos, compénsenlas, compénsense

Derived terms

• compensador

Related terms

• compensación

Further reading

• “compensar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025