contar preterite conjugation
Contar (to count, to tell) in the preterite: conté, contaste, contó, contamos, contasteis, contaron.
Pretérito indefinido Preterite
| 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 preterite
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
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 preterite of contar?
Contar in the Spanish preterite: yo conté, tú contaste, él/ella/usted contó, nosotros contamos, vosotros contasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes contaron.
Is contar irregular in the preterite?
No. In the preterite contar takes the regular endings for its verb class, so conté follows the same pattern as any regular verb.
When do you use the Spanish preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How is the preterite formed?
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Full contar conjugation, all tenses →
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