Spanish Verbs
Contar Conjugation
Contar is a Spanish irregular AR verb meaning "to count" or "to tell". Irregular verbs are verbs which do not follow the standard conjugation patterns of Spanish regular verbs.
Contar is ranked on the 100 Most Used Spanish Verbs Poster as the #33 most used irregular verb.
Present Tense
Past Tenses
Future Tenses
Subjunctive Tenses
Further Reading
100 Most Used Spanish Verbs Poster w/ Study Guide
A selection of the most used irregular and regular Spanish verb conjugations. A must have for anyone who wants to learn Spanish!
Contar Conjugation
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuento | I count |
| Tú | cuentas | You count |
| Él/Ella/ |
cuenta | He/She counts |
| Nosotros | contamos | We count |
| Vosotros | contáis | You (plural) count |
| Ellos/ |
cuentan | They count |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Contar Participio
The Participio or Past Participle of Contar is contado. This is used to form the Contar Present Perfect and the Contar Past Perfect.
Contar Gerundio
The Gerundio or Present Participle of Contar is contando. This is used to form the Contar Present Continuous.
Contar Present Continuous
The Present Continuous (presente progresivo or presente continuo) is used to describe actions that are happening right now or around now. To form the present continuous tense, combine the Estar conjugation with the Contar Gerundio (or Present Participle).
Example: Él está siendo muy egoísta últimamente. (He is being very selfish lately.)
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy contando | I am counting |
| Tú | estás contando | You are counting |
| Él/Ella/ |
está contando | He/She is counting |
| Nosotros | estamos contando | We are counting |
| Vosotros | estáis contando | You (plural) are counting |
| Ellos/ |
están contando | They are counting |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topContar Past Tense
Spanish has several past tenses, each serving a specific purpose to express actions in the past.
Additionally, the use of Spanish past tenses can vary significantly across regions due to cultural and linguistic differences.
These are some of the most commonly used Spanish past tenses:
Contar Preterite
The Preterite Tense (Pretérito or Indefinido) is used for completed actions in the past that have a clear beginning or end.
Example: Ayer comí pizza. (Yesterday, I ate pizza).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | conté | I counted |
| Tú | contaste | You counted |
| Él/Ella/ |
contó | He/She counted |
| Nosotros | contamos | We counted |
| Vosotros | contasteis | You (plural) counted |
| Ellos/ |
contaron | They counted |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topContar Imperfect
The Imperfect Tense (Imperfecto) describes ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past, often without a defined start or end.
Example: Cuando era niño, jugaba fútbol todos los días. (When I was a child, I used to play soccer every day).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contaba | I used to count |
| Tú | contabas | You used to count |
| Él/Ella/ |
contaba | He/She used to count |
| Nosotros | contábamos | We used to count |
| Vosotros | contabais | You (plural) used to count |
| Ellos/ |
contaban | They used to count |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topContar Present Perfect
The Present Perfect Tense (Presente Perfecto) is used to describe actions that have been completed recently or have relevance to the present moment. The Present Perfect Tense is formed by combining the Present Tense of the auxiliary verb Haber Conjugation with the Contar Participio.
Example: He leído ese libro. (I have read that book).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he contado | I have counted |
| Tú | has contado | You have counted |
| Él/Ella/ |
ha contado | He/She has counted |
| Nosotros | hemos contado | We have counted |
| Vosotros | habéis contado | You (plural) have counted |
| Ellos/ |
han contado | They have counted |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topContar Past Perfect
The Past Perfect Tense (Pluscuamperfecto) refers to actions completed before another action in the past. The Past Perfect Tense is formed by combining the Imperfect Tense of the auxiliary verb Haber Conjugation with the Contar Participio.
Example: Había comido antes de salir. (I had eaten before leaving).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había contado | I had counted |
| Tú | habías contado | You had counted |
| Él/Ella/ |
había contado | He/She had counted |
| Nosotros | habíamos contado | We had counted |
| Vosotros | habíais contado | You (plural) had counted |
| Ellos/ |
habían contado | They had counted |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topContar Future Tense
The Future Tense (Futuro) is used to describe actions or events that will happen in the future. It often expresses certainty or plans about what is yet to come.
Example: Mañana comeré pizza. (Tomorrow, I will eat pizza).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contaré | I will count |
| Tú | contarás | You will count |
| Él/Ella/ |
contará | He/She will count |
| Nosotros | contaremos | We will count |
| Vosotros | contaréis | You (plural) will count |
| Ellos/ |
contarán | They will count |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topContar Conditional Tense
The Conditional Tense (Condicional) is used to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, or actions that depend on other conditions. It is often used in combination with the Future Tense.
Example: Me gustaría un café, por favor.(I would like a coffee, please).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | contaría | I would count |
| Tú | contarías | You would count |
| Él/Ella/ |
contaría | He/She would count |
| Nosotros | contaríamos | We would count |
| Vosotros | contaríais | You (plural) would count |
| Ellos/ |
contarían | They would count |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topContar Subjunctive
The Subjunctive Tense (Subjuntivo) is used to express doubt, uncertainty, desire, or emotion. It is often used in dependent clauses introduced by specific conjunctions or verbs.
Example: Espero que seas feliz. (I hope you are happy).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | cuente | I count |
| Tú | cuentes | You count |
| Él/Ella/ |
cuente | He/She counts |
| Nosotros | contemos | We count |
| Vosotros | contéis | You (plural) count |
| Ellos/ |
cuenten | They count |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topSpanish Regular Verbs
A verb is called a regular verb when its conjugation follows a consistent and predictable pattern. In contrast, a verb that does not follow these standard patterns is called an irregular verb. In Spanish, the three regular conjugation patterns are based on the verb endings: -AR, -ER, and -IR.
Spanish Conjugation Chart
Looking for more Spanish verbs like Contar? Check out our Spanish Conjugation Chart, the 100 Most Used Spanish Verbs Poster!
