Want to learn about the Contar conjugation in Spanish? You can count on us!

Contar is the Spanish verb for “to count” or “to tell”. It is an irregular verb, and one of the most popular Spanish verbs.

In today’s blog post, you’ll learn all about the verb conjugation for “Contar”. 

Read more: THE 150 MOST COMMON SPANISH VERBS (IRREGULAR + REGULAR)

“Contar” Conjugation in Spanish Indicative / Indicativo

The indicative tense (el modo indicativo) is one of the three grammatical moods used to express different attitudes or purposes in speech. The indicative mood is used to make factual statements, ask questions, and express opinions about actions or events that are considered real or certain.

Present Tense Contar Conjugation / Presente

The present tense is used to describe actions happening in the present or to express general truths or habitual actions.

Yo	Cuento
Tú	Cuentas
Él/Ella/Usted	Cuenta
Nosotros	Contamos
Vosotros	Contáis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Cuentan

Examples:

1. Yo cuento las manzanas en la cesta. (I count the apples in the basket.)
2. Usted cuenta los pájaros en el cielo. (You count the birds in the sky.)
3. Nosotros contamos las estrellas en la noche. (We count the stars at night.)

Simple Past Contar Conjugation / Pasado 

The simple past tense (preterite) is used to describe completed actions in the past, often with specific time frames or events.

Yo	Conté
Tú	Contaste
Él/Ella/Usted	Contó
Nosotros	Contamos
Vosotros	Contasteis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Contaron

Examples:

1. Tú contaste las monedas en la mesa. (You counted the coins on the table.)
2. Ella contó las flores en el jardín. (She counted the flowers in the garden.)
3. Ellos contaron los minutos para el final del partido. (They counted the minutes until the end of the game.)

Imperfect Contar Conjugation / Imperfecto

Spanish imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past, as well as to set the stage or provide background information

Yo	Contaba
Tú	Contabas
Él/Ella/Usted	Contaba
Nosotros	Contábamos
Vosotros	Contabais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Contaban

Examples:

1. Vosotros contabais los pasos en el camino. (You all counted the steps on the path.)
2. Nosotros contábamos los días hasta nuestro cumpleaños. (We counted the days until our birthday.)
3. Usted contaba las ovejas antes de dormir. (You counted the sheep before sleeping.)

Present Continuous Contar Conjugation / Presente Continuo

The present continuous tense (also known as “estar + gerundio”) is used to describe actions that are currently happening in the present moment or to express temporary situations.

Yo	Estoy contando
Tú	Estás contando
Él/Ella/Usted	Está contando
Nosotros	Estamos contando
Vosotros	Estáis contando
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Están contando

Examples:

1.  Estoy contando las estrellas en el cielo. (I am counting the stars in the sky.)
2. Estamos contando los libros en la biblioteca. (We are counting the books in the library.)
3. Estás contando los minutos para la comida. (You are counting the minutes until lunch.)

Future Tense / Futuro

The Spanish future tense is used to express actions or events that will happen in the future, indicating something that has not yet occurred.

Yo	Contaré
Tú	Contarás
Él/Ella/Usted	Contará
Nosotros	Contaremos
Vosotros	Contaréis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Contarán

Examples:

1. Contaré las historias más emocionantes. (I will tell the most exciting stories.)
2. Contarán los días hasta su aniversario. (They will count the days until their anniversary.)
3. Contaréis las monedas en la alcancía. (You all will count the coins in the piggy bank.)

Conditional Contar Conjugation / Condicional

The conditional tense is used to express hypothetical or speculative actions or events that would happen under certain conditions in the present or future.

Yo	Contaría
Tú	Contarías
Él/Ella/Usted	Contaría
Nosotros	Contaríamos
Vosotros	Contaríais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Contarían

Examples:

1. Contarías tus sueños si fueran posibles. (You would tell your dreams if they were possible.)
2. Contaría la historia una y otra vez si pudiera. (I would tell the story again and again if I could.)
3. Contaríamos las estrellas si pudiéramos verlas todas. (We would count the stars if we could see them all.)

Present Perfect / Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto

Spanish present perfect tense (also known as “pretérito perfecto compuesto”) is used to express actions that have occurred in the past but have a connection to the present, emphasizing the result or consequences of those actions.

Yo	He contado
Tú	Has contado
Él/Ella/Usted	Ha contado
Nosotros	Hemos contado
Vosotros	Habéis contado
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Han contado

Examples:

1. Él ha contado sus experiencias de viaje. (He has recounted his travel experiences.)
2. Ellos han contado chistes durante la fiesta. (They have told jokes during the party.)
3. Habéis contado las páginas del libro para ver cuántas faltan. (You all have counted the pages of the book to see how many are left.)

Past Perfect Contar Conjugation / Pretérico Pluscuamperfecto

Spanish past perfect tense (also known as “pretérito pluscuamperfecto”) is used to describe actions that occurred before another past action or event, expressing a past-in-the-past relationship.

Yo	Había contado
Tú	Has contado
Él/Ella/Usted	Ha contado
Nosotros	Hemos contado
Vosotros	Habéis contado
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Han contado

Examples:

1. Había contado la historia tantas veces que ya la sabía de memoria. (He had told the story so many times that he knew it by heart.)
2. Ha contado anécdotas interesantes sobre su viaje a Europa. (He has recounted interesting anecdotes about his trip to Europe.)
3. Has contado las veces que has visitado ese museo. (You have counted the times you have visited that museum.)

Future Perfect / Futuro Perfecto

The Spanish future perfect tense is used to express actions that will have been completed in the future, indicating an action that will be finished before another specified future time or event.

Yo	Habré contado
Tú	Habrás contado
Él/Ella/Usted	Habrá contado
Nosotros	Habremos contado
Vosotros	Habréis contado
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habrán contado

Examples:

1. Habrás contado tus logros cuando vuelvas. (You will have recounted your achievements when you return.)
2. Habremos contado todos los libros en la biblioteca para entonces. (We will have counted all the books in the library by then.)
3. Habrán contado las historias más increíbles después de su viaje. (They will have told the most amazing stories after their trip.)

Conditional Perfect / Condicional Perfect

The conditional perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or speculative actions that would have been completed in the past, indicating an action that would have happened prior to another past event.

Yo	Habría contado
Tú	Habrías contado
Él/Ella/Usted	Habría contado
Nosotros	Habríamos contado
Vosotros	Habríais contado
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Habrían contado

Examples:

1. Habría contado la verdad si le hubieran preguntado. (He would have told the truth if they had asked him.)
2. Habrían contado chistes durante la reunión si no fuera tan formal. (They would have told jokes during the meeting if it weren’t so formal.)
3. Ella habría contado su experiencia si le hubieran dado la oportunidad. (She would have recounted her experience if they had given her the chance.)

“Contar” Conjugation in Spanish Subjunctive / Subjuntivo

The subjunctive tense (el modo subjuntivo) is one of the three grammatical moods used to express different attitudes or purposes in speech. The subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, uncertainty, subjectivity, emotion, and hypothetical situations.

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Present Tense / Presente

The Spanish subjunctive present tense is used to express subjective actions, desires, doubts, recommendations, or possibilities, often introduced by certain triggers such as expressions of doubt, necessity, or influence.

Yo	Cuente
Tú	Cuentes
Él/Ella/Usted	Cuente
Nosotros	Contemos
Vosotros	Contéis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Cuenten

Examples:

1. Es importante que yo cuente mis bendiciones todos los días. (It’s important that I count my blessings every day.)
2. Quiero que tú cuentes hasta diez antes de responder. (I want you to count to ten before responding.)
3. Sugiero que contéis los votos una vez más para estar seguros. (I suggest that you all count the votes once more to be sure.)

Imperfect / Imperfecto

This tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the past, often introduced by certain triggers such as expressions of doubt, uncertainty, or unreal conditions.

Yo	Contara
Tú	Contaras
Él/Ella/Usted	Contara
Nosotros	Contáramos
Vosotros	Contarais
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Contaran

Examples:

1. Es posible que usted contara su historia de vida en la entrevista. (It’s possible that you would recount your life story in the interview.)
2. Era importante que contáramos con el apoyo de nuestros amigos durante ese momento difícil. (It was important that we counted on the support of our friends during that difficult time.)
3. El profesor sugirió que contaran los pájaros en el parque como parte de la tarea. (The teacher suggested that they count the birds in the park as part of the assignment.)

Present Perfect / Pretérito Perfecto

Spanish subjunctive present perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the present with a connection to the past, indicating actions that would have been completed prior to the present moment.

Yo	Haya contado
Tú	Hayas contado
Él/Ella/Usted	Haya contado
Nosotros	Hayamos contado
Vosotros	Hayáis contado
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hayan contado

Examples:

1. Es posible que yo haya contado todas las estrellas en el cielo. (It’s possible that I have counted all the stars in the sky.)
2. Tal vez tú hayas contado las horas hasta que llegue el fin de semana. (Perhaps you have counted the hours until the weekend arrives.)
3. Es probable que él haya contado todas las cartas del mazo. (He probably has counted all the cards in the deck.) 

Past Perfect / Pretérico Pluscuamperfecto

Spanish subjunctive past perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the past with a connection to a previous past event, indicating actions that would have been completed before that past event.

Yo	Hubiera contado
Tú	Hubieras contado
Él/Ella/Usted	Hubiera contado
Nosotros	Hubiéramos contado
Vosotros	Hubierais contado
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hubieran contado

Examples:

1. Hubieras contado la verdad desde el principio. (You should have told the truth from the beginning.)
2. Hubiéramos contado todas las estrellas si el cielo estuviera despejado. (We would have counted all the stars if the sky were clear.)
3. Hubieran contado las monedas si supieran que estaban allí. (They would have counted the coins if they knew they were there.)

Future Perfect / Futuro Perfecto

The future perfect tense is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions, desires, doubts, or recommendations in the future with a connection to a future event, indicating actions that would have been completed before that future event.

Yo	Hubiere contado
Tú	Hubieres contado
Él/Ella/Usted	Hubiere contado
Nosotros	Hubiéremos contado
Vosotros	Hubiereis contado
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Hubieren contado

Examples:

1. Cuando hubiere contado todas las piezas, comenzaremos a armar el rompecabezas. (When you have counted all the pieces, we will start assembling the puzzle.)
2. Para entonces, ya hubiéremos contado todas las personas que asistirán al evento. (By then, we will have counted all the people who will attend the event.)
3. Si hubieren contado con precisión, no habrá discrepancias en los resultados. (If they have counted accurately, there will be no discrepancies in the results.)

“Contar” Conjugation in Spanish Imperative / Imperativo

The imperative tense (el modo imperativo) is one of the verb moods used to express commands, orders, or requests. It is used to tell someone what to do or what not to do.

Affirmative / Afirmativos

Spanish affirmative refers to the use of positive statements or expressions that indicate agreement, confirmation, or positive response to a question or statement.

Yo	–
Tú	Cuenta
Él/Ella/Usted	Cuente
Nosotros	Contemos
Vosotros	Contad
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	Cuenten

Examples:

1. Contad las manzanas en la cesta. (Count the apples in the basket.)
2. Cuenta los pájaros en el árbol. (Count the birds in the tree.)
3. Cuenten las estrellas en el cielo. (Count the stars in the sky.)

Negative / Negativos

Spanish negative refers to the use of negative statements or expressions that indicate negation, denial, or disagreement with a question or statement.

Yo	–
Tú	No cuentes
Él/Ella/Usted	No cuente
Nosotros	No contemos
Vosotros	No contéis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes	No cuenten

Examples:

1. No contemos secretos a nadie más. (Let’s not tell secrets to anyone else.)
2. No cuentes mentiras; siempre di la verdad. (Don’t tell lies; always tell the truth.)
3. No contéis chismes sobre los demás. (Don’t spread gossip about others.)

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In conclusion, understanding the conjugation of the verb “Contar” in Spanish is a fundamental step in mastering the language. 

Learning the conjugation of “Contar” not only improves our ability to communicate effectively but also allows us to immerse ourselves more deeply in the rich and diverse Spanish-speaking cultures.

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