contar Preterite Conjugation
contar — to count
The preterite of contar is regular: conté, contaste, contó, contamos, contasteis, contaron.
contar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you finished telling a story or finished counting a specific set of items at a certain point in time.
Notes on contar in the Preterite
Contar is regular in the preterite. Unlike the present tense, it does not change the 'o' to 'ue'.
Example Sentences
Le conté el secreto a mi mejor amigo.
I told the secret to my best friend.
yo
¿Contaste cuántas personas vinieron?
Did you count how many people came?
tú
Nosotros contamos el dinero dos veces.
We counted the money twice.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Yo cuenté.
Correct: Yo conté.
Why: Learners often try to apply the stem-change from the present tense to the preterite, but contar is regular here.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: cuento
Contar is a stem-changing verb (o > ue) in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
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.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contara
The imperfect subjunctive of contar is formed from the preterite: contara, contaras, contara, contáramos, contarais, contaran.
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.