contar Imperfect Subjunctive Conjugation
contar — to count
The imperfect subjunctive of contar is formed from the preterite: contara, contaras, contara, contáramos, contarais, contaran.
contar Imperfect Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Imperfect Subjunctive
Use this for past doubts or hypothetical 'if' situations (e.g., 'If I told you the truth...').
Notes on contar in the Imperfect Subjunctive
It is regular based on the third-person plural preterite (contaron). No o > ue stem change occurs here.
Example Sentences
Si yo te contara la verdad, no me creerías.
If I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me.
yo
Me pidió que contara hasta diez.
He asked me to count to ten.
él/ella/usted
Sería mejor que contáramos el dinero ahora.
It would be better if we counted the money now.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Si yo cuentara...
Correct: Si yo contara...
Why: The imperfect subjunctive is built from the preterite 'contaron', which does not have a stem change.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cuento
Contar is a stem-changing verb (o > ue) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: conté
The preterite of contar is regular: conté, contaste, contó, contamos, contasteis, contaron.
Imperfect
yo: contaba
The imperfect of contar is regular: contaba, contabas, contaba, contábamos, contabais, contaban.
Future
yo: contaré
The future tense of contar is regular: contaré, contarás, contará, contaremos, contaréis, contarán.
Conditional
yo: contaría
The conditional of contar is regular: contaría, contarías, contaría, contaríamos, contaríais, contarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: cuente
The present subjunctive of contar keeps the o > ue stem change: cuente, cuentes, cuente, contemos, contéis, cuenten.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: cuenta
The imperative of contar uses the stem-changed 'cuenta' for tú and 'cuente' for usted.
Negative Imperative
yo: no cuentes
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no cuentes, no cuente, no contemos, no contéis, no cuenten.