Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Contar in Spanish
To count, to tell Irregular Verb Top 100
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Contar
- Contar in the Indicative Present
- Contar in the Indicative Preterite
- Contar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Contar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Contar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Contar in the Indicative Future
- Contar in the Indicative Conditional
- Contar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Contar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Contar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Contar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Contar
- Imperative tenses of Contar
- Example sentences and usage
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Contar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
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.
| Spanish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | contar | to count, to tell |
| Past participle | contado | counted |
| Gerund | contando | counting |
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Indicative Tenses of Contar
Contar in the Indicative Present
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, you (formal) counts |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contamos | we count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contáis | you (plural) count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuentan | they count, you (plural formal) count |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Contar in the Indicative Preterite
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, you (formal) counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contamos | we counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contasteis | you (plural) counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contaron | they counted, you (plural formal) counted |
Contar in the Indicative Imperfect
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, you (formal) 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, you (plural formal) used to count |
Contar in the Indicative Present Continuous
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, you (formal) are counting |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos contando | we are counting |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis contando | you (plural) are counting |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están contando | they are counting, you (plural formal) are counting |
Contar in the Indicative Informal Future
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, you (formal) are 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, you (plural formal) are going to count |
Contar in the Indicative Future
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, you (formal) will count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contaremos | we will count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contaréis | you (plural) will count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contarán | they will count, you (plural formal) will count |
Contar in the Indicative Conditional
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, you (formal) would count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contaríamos | we would count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contaríais | you (plural) would count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contarían | they would count, you (plural formal) would count |
Contar in the Indicative Present Perfect
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, you (formal) have counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos contado | we have counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis contado | you (plural) have counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han contado | they have counted, you (plural formal) have counted |
Contar in the Indicative Past Perfect
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, you (formal) 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, you (plural formal) had counted |
Contar in the Indicative Future Perfect
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, you (formal) 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, you (plural formal) will have counted |
Contar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
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, you (formal) 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, you (plural formal) would have counted |
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Subjunctive Tenses of Contar
Contar in the Subjunctive Present
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, you (formal) counts |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contemos | we count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contéis | you (plural) count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | cuenten | they count, you (plural formal) count |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Contar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
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, you (formal) counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contáramos | we counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contarais | you (plural) counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contaran | they counted, you (plural formal) counted |
Contar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. 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, you (formal) will count |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contáremos | we will count |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contareis | you (plural) will count |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contaren | they will count, you (plural formal) will count |
Contar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
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, you (formal) have counted |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos contado | we have counted |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis contado | you (plural) have counted |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan contado | they have counted, you (plural formal) have counted |
Contar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
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, you (formal) 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, you (plural formal) had counted |
Contar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. Note that this is very rarely used in Spanish. 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, you (formal) 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, you (plural formal) will have counted |
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Imperative Tenses of Contar
Contar in the Imperative Affirmative
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.
Contar in the Imperative Negative
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.
Example sentences and usage
- 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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