Ella VerbsTo count, to tell Irregular Verb Top 100
At a glance: Contar (to count, to tell) is one of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis, cuentan. Its irregularities include: Change o to ue for all but nosotras and vosotras in the indicative present (which therefore affects the subjunctive present and the imperatives).
Contar is the Spanish verb for "to count, to tell". It is an irregular verb, and one of the most popular 100 Spanish verbs. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to contar include: decir, largar.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | contar | to count, to tell |
| Past participle | contado | counted |
| Gerund | contando | counting |
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The Indicative Present of contar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "cuento los animales", meaning "I count the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuento | I count |
| Tú | cuentas | you count |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuenta | s/he counts |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contamos | we count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contáis | you (plural) count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuentan | they count |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
The Indicative Preterite of contar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "conté los animales", meaning "I counted the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conté | I counted |
| Tú | contaste | you counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contó | s/he counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contamos | we counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contasteis | you (plural) counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contaron | they counted |
The Indicative Imperfect of contar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "contaba los animales", meaning "I used to count the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contaba | I used to count |
| Tú | contabas | you used to count |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contaba | s/he used to count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contábamos | we used to count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contabais | you (plural) used to count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contaban | they used to count |
The Indicative Present Continuous of contar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy contando los animales", meaning "I am counting the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy contando | I am counting |
| Tú | estás contando | you are counting |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está contando | s/he is counting |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos contando | we are counting |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis contando | you (plural) are counting |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están contando | they are counting |
The Indicative Informal Future of contar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a contar los animales", meaning "I am going to count the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a contar | I am going to count |
| Tú | vas a contar | you are going to count |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a contar | s/he is going to count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a contar | we are going to count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a contar | you (plural) are going to count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a contar | they are going to count |
The Indicative Future of contar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "contaré los animales", meaning "I will count the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contaré | I will count |
| Tú | contarás | you will count |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contará | s/he will count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contaremos | we will count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contaréis | you (plural) will count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contarán | they will count |
The Indicative Conditional of contar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "contaría los animales", meaning "I would count the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contaría | I would count |
| Tú | contarías | you would count |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contaría | s/he would count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contaríamos | we would count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contaríais | you (plural) would count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contarían | they would count |
The Indicative Present Perfect of contar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he contado los animales", meaning "I have counted the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he contado | I have counted |
| Tú | has contado | you have counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha contado | s/he has counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos contado | we have counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis contado | you (plural) have counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han contado | they have counted |
The Indicative Past Perfect of contar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había contado los animales", meaning "I had counted the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había contado | I had counted |
| Tú | habías contado | you had counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había contado | s/he had counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos contado | we had counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais contado | you (plural) had counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían contado | they had counted |
The Indicative Future Perfect of contar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré contado los animales", meaning "I will have counted the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré contado | I will have counted |
| Tú | habrás contado | you will have counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá contado | s/he will have counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos contado | we will have counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis contado | you (plural) will have counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán contado | they will have counted |
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of contar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría contado los animales", meaning "I would have counted the animals".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría contado | I would have counted |
| Tú | habrías contado | you would have counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría contado | s/he would have counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos contado | we would have counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais contado | you (plural) would have counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían contado | they would have counted |
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The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "cuente", meaning "I count".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuente | I count |
| Tú | cuentes | you count |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuente | s/he counts |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contemos | we count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contéis | you (plural) count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuenten | they count |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "contara", meaning "I counted".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contara | I counted |
| Tú | contaras | you counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contara | s/he counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contáramos | we counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contarais | you (plural) counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contaran | they counted |
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "contare", meaning "I will count".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contare | I will count |
| Tú | contares | you will count |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contare | s/he will count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contáremos | we will count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contareis | you (plural) will count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contaren | they will count |
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya contado", meaning "I have counted".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya contado | I have counted |
| Tú | hayas contado | you have counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya contado | s/he has counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos contado | we have counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis contado | you (plural) have counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan contado | they have counted |
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera contado", meaning "I had counted".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera contado | I had counted |
| Tú | hubieras contado | you had counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera contado | s/he had counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos contado | we had counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais contado | you (plural) had counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran contado | they had counted |
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere contado", meaning "I will have counted".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere contado | I will have counted |
| Tú | hubieres contado | you will have counted |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere contado | s/he will have counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos contado | we will have counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis contado | you (plural) will have counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren contado | they will have counted |
Practice conjugation in a way that makes you think, not just memorize. Our Spanish Verb Sudoku has a new puzzle every day, plus free printable PDF worksheets with answer keys.
It includes the most detailed verb tables (with full English translation) for Contar and 2,300+ other verbs.
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The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "cuente", meaning "(to you formal) count!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | cuenta | (to you) count! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | cuente | (to you formal) count! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contemos | let's count! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contad | (to you plural) count! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuenten | (to you plural formal) count! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no cuente", meaning "(to you formal) don't count!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no cuentes | (to you) don't count! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no cuente | (to you formal) don't count! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no contemos | let's not count! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no contéis | (to you plural) don't count! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no cuenten | (to you plural formal) don't count! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Contar is an irregular Spanish verb. Its irregularities include: Change o to ue for all but nosotras and vosotras in the indicative present (which therefore affects the subjunctive present and the imperatives).
In the present tense (presente), contar is conjugated as: yo cuento, tú cuentas, él/ella/usted cuenta, nosotros contamos, vosotros contáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cuentan. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), contar is conjugated as: yo conté, tú contaste, él/ella/usted contó, nosotros contamos, vosotros contasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes contaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), contar is conjugated as: yo contaba, tú contabas, él/ella/usted contaba, nosotros contábamos, vosotros contabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes contaban. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
In the future tense (futuro simple), contar is conjugated as: yo contaré, tú contarás, él/ella/usted contará, nosotros contaremos, vosotros contaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes contarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), contar is conjugated as: yo cuente, tú cuentes, él/ella/usted cuente, nosotros contemos, vosotros contéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes cuenten. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
Here are everyday sentences using contar: Él me contó la historia de su vida. (He told me the story of his life.) Cuento con tu ayuda. (I expect your help.) Cuento con que te unas a nosotros. (I am counting on you to join us.)
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Why not check out Contemplar – to contemplate or see the complete list of verbs here.
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