How to conjugate Contestar in Spanish
To answer, to reply Regular AR Verb
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Contestar
- Contestar in the Indicative Present
- Contestar in the Indicative Preterite
- Contestar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Contestar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Contestar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Contestar in the Indicative Future
- Contestar in the Indicative Conditional
- Contestar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Contestar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Contestar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Contestar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Contestar
- Imperative tenses of Contestar
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Contestar conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Contestar is the Spanish verb for "to answer, to reply". It is a regular AR verb. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!
Similar verbs to contestar include: responder.
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | contestar | to answer, to reply |
| Past participle | contestado | answered |
| Gerund | contestando | answering |
Indicative Tenses of Contestar
Contestar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of contestar 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, "contesto", meaning "I answer".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contesto | I answer |
| Tú | contestas | you answer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contesta | s/he answers, you (formal) answer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestamos | we answer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestáis | you (plural) answer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contestan | they answer, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of contestar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "contesté", meaning "I answered".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contesté | I answered |
| Tú | contestaste | you answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contestó | s/he answered, you (formal) answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestamos | we answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestasteis | you (plural) answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contestaron | they answered, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of contestar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "contestaba", meaning "I used to answer".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestaba | I used to answer |
| Tú | contestabas | you used to answer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contestaba | s/he used to answer, you (formal) used to answer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestábamos | we used to answer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestabais | you (plural) used to answer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contestaban | they used to answer, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of contestar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy contestando", meaning "I am answering".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy contestando | I am answering |
| Tú | estás contestando | you are answering |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está contestando | s/he is answering, you (formal) are answering |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos contestando | we are answering |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis contestando | you (plural) are answering |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están contestando | they are answering, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of contestar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a contestar", meaning "I am going to answer".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a contestar | I am going to answer |
| Tú | vas a contestar | you are going to answer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a contestar | s/he is going to answer, you (formal) are going to answer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a contestar | we are going to answer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a contestar | you (plural) are going to answer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a contestar | they are going to answer, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of contestar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "contestaré", meaning "I will answer".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestaré | I will answer |
| Tú | contestarás | you will answer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contestará | s/he will answer, you (formal) will answer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestaremos | we will answer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestaréis | you (plural) will answer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contestarán | they will answer, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of contestar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "contestaría", meaning "I would answer".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestaría | I would answer |
| Tú | contestarías | you would answer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contestaría | s/he would answer, you (formal) would answer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestaríamos | we would answer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestaríais | you (plural) would answer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contestarían | they would answer, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of contestar 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 contestado", meaning "I have answered".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he contestado | I have answered |
| Tú | has contestado | you have answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha contestado | s/he has answered, you (formal) have answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos contestado | we have answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis contestado | you (plural) have answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han contestado | they have answered, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of contestar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había contestado", meaning "I had answered".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había contestado | I had answered |
| Tú | habías contestado | you had answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había contestado | s/he had answered, you (formal) had answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos contestado | we had answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais contestado | you (plural) had answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían contestado | they had answered, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of contestar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré contestado", meaning "I will have answered".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré contestado | I will have answered |
| Tú | habrás contestado | you will have answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá contestado | s/he will have answered, you (formal) will have answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos contestado | we will have answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis contestado | you (plural) will have answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán contestado | they will have answered, |
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Contestar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of contestar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría contestado", meaning "I would have answered".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría contestado | I would have answered |
| Tú | habrías contestado | you would have answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría contestado | s/he would have answered, you (formal) would have answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos contestado | we would have answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais contestado | you (plural) would have answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían contestado | they would have answered, |
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Subjunctive Tenses of Contestar
Contestar 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, "conteste", meaning "I answer".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conteste | I answer |
| Tú | contestes | you answer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | conteste | s/he answers, you (formal) answer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestemos | we answer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestéis | you (plural) answer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contesten | they answer, |
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Contestar 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, "contestara", meaning "I answered".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestara | I answered |
| Tú | contestaras | you answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contestara | s/he answered, you (formal) answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestáramos | we answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestarais | you (plural) answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contestaran | they answered, |
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Contestar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "contestare", meaning "I will answer".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestare | I will answer |
| Tú | contestares | you will answer |
| Ella / Él / Usted | contestare | s/he will answer, you (formal) will answer |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestáremos | we will answer |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestareis | you (plural) will answer |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contestaren | they will answer, |
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Contestar 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 contestado", meaning "I have answered".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya contestado | I have answered |
| Tú | hayas contestado | you have answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya contestado | s/he has answered, you (formal) have answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos contestado | we have answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis contestado | you (plural) have answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan contestado | they have answered, |
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Contestar 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 contestado", meaning "I had answered".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera contestado | I had answered |
| Tú | hubieras contestado | you had answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera contestado | s/he had answered, you (formal) had answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos contestado | we had answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais contestado | you (plural) had answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran contestado | they had answered, |
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Contestar 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. For example, "hubiere contestado", meaning "I will have answered".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere contestado | I will have answered |
| Tú | hubieres contestado | you will have answered |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere contestado | s/he will have answered, you (formal) will have answered |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos contestado | we will have answered |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis contestado | you (plural) will have answered |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren contestado | they will have answered, |
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Imperative Tenses of Contestar
Contestar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "conteste", meaning "(to you formal) answer!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | contesta | (to you) answer! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | conteste | (to you formal) answer! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | contestemos | let's answer! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | contestad | (to you plural) answer! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | contesten | (to you plural formal) answer! |
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Contestar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no conteste", meaning "(to you formal) don't answer!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no contestes | (to you) don't answer! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no conteste | (to you formal) don't answer! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no contestemos | let's not answer! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no contestéis | (to you plural) don't answer! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no contesten | (to you plural formal) don't answer! |
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Contestar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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Practice Contestar conjugations (free mobile & web app)
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Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Continuar – to continue or see the complete list of verbs here.
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Contestar: to answer, to reply
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