Conjugate contar in Spanish
to count / to tell (a story)
contar is an irregular -ar verb ranked #35 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "Yo cuento todos los días." (I count every day.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.
contar — Spanish Conjugation Chart
to count / to tell (a story) · -ar verb · irregular (stem-changing o>ue) · conjugado.com
Describes current actions, habits, and general truths. The most frequently used tense — master it first.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | cuento * |
| tú | cuentas * |
| él/ella/Ud. | cuenta * |
| nosotros | contamos |
| vosotros | contáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuentan * |
Yo cuento todos los días.
I count every day.
Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | conté |
| tú | contaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | contó |
| nosotros | contamos |
| vosotros | contasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contaron |
Nosotros contamos juntos.
We count together.
Describes habitual past actions, background context, and ongoing states. Key signals: siempre, normalmente, cuando era niño.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | contaba |
| tú | contabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | contaba |
| nosotros | contábamos |
| vosotros | contabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contaban |
Antes yo contaba con frecuencia.
Before, I used to count / to tell (a story) often.
Describes future events and predictions. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for planned events.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | contaré |
| tú | contarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | contará |
| nosotros | contaremos |
| vosotros | contaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contarán |
Mañana yo contaré.
Tomorrow I will count / to tell (a story).
Expresses what would happen under certain conditions — equivalent to "would" in English. Also used for polite requests.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | contaría |
| tú | contarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | contaría |
| nosotros | contaríamos |
| vosotros | contaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contarían |
Si pudiera, yo contaría.
If I could, I would count / to tell (a story).
Used in clauses expressing wishes, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty — typically after que. Triggers: querer, esperar, dudar, ojalá.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | cuente * |
| tú | cuentes * |
| él/ella/Ud. | cuente * |
| nosotros | contemos |
| vosotros | contéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuenten * |
Quiero que tú cuentes más.
I want you to count more.
Used to give commands and direct requests. Affirmative and negative forms differ significantly in Spanish.
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | - |
| tú | cuenta * |
| él/ella/Ud. | cuente * |
| nosotros | contemos |
| vosotros | contad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | cuenten * |
Él cuenta con frecuencia.
He counts often.
Test yourself
Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.
Example sentences
-
Yo cuento todos los días.
I count every day.
-
¿Tú cuentas mucho?
Do you count a lot?
-
Él cuenta con frecuencia.
He counts often.
-
Nosotros contamos juntos.
We count together.
-
Ellos cuentan bien.
They count well.
-
Ayer conté por primera vez.
Yesterday I countd for the first time.
-
Quiero que tú cuentes más.
I want you to count more.
-
Es importante contar correctamente.
It is important to count / to tell (a story) correctly.
Common phrases with contar
- contar bien to count well
- contar mucho to count a lot
- dejar de contar to stop counting
- volver a contar to count again