contar imperfect tense conjugation
Contar (to count, to tell) in the imperfect tense: contaba, contabas, contaba, contábamos, contabais, contaban.
Pretérito imperfecto Imperfect
| yo | |
|---|---|
| tú | |
| él/ella/usted | |
| nosotros | |
| vosotros | |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the imperfect tense
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
Contar is regular here, so it is a good model for other verbs of the same class.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Contar in a sentence
- Cuento el dinero cada semana.I count the money every week.
- Me contó una historia interesante.He told me an interesting story.
o→ue stem change; 'contar con' means 'to count on/rely on'.
FAQ
What is the imperfect tense of contar?
Contar in the Spanish imperfect tense: yo contaba, tú contabas, él/ella/usted contaba, nosotros contábamos, vosotros contabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes contaban.
Is contar irregular in the imperfect tense?
No. In the imperfect tense contar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so contaba follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish imperfect tense?
The imperfect (pretérito imperfecto) describes the past as background: habits (“used to”), ongoing actions (“was doing”), descriptions, age and time. “Cuando era niño, vivía en Sevilla.”
How is the imperfect tense formed?
Regular endings: -ar → aba, abas, aba, ábamos, abais, aban; -er/-ir → ía, ías, ía, íamos, íais, ían. Only three verbs are irregular in the imperfect: ser (era), ir (iba) and ver (veía).
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