
contener Conditional Conjugation
contener — to contain
The conditional uses the irregular stem 'contendr-': contendría, contendrías, contendría, contendríamos, contendríais, contendrían.
contener Conditional Forms
When to Use the Conditional
Use the conditional to say what something 'would contain' under certain circumstances or to make polite guesses about the past.
Notes on contener in the Conditional
The conditional shares the same irregular 'd' stem as the future tense.
Example Sentences
Esa maleta contendría demasiada ropa para el viaje.
That suitcase would contain too many clothes for the trip.
él/ella/usted
Si fuera un libro mejor, contendría más fotos.
If it were a better book, it would contain more photos.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: contenería
Correct: contendría
Why: The stem must change to 'contendr-' just like in the future tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: contengo
The present of contener follows the 'tener' pattern: contengo, contienes, contiene, contenemos, contenéis, contienen.
Preterite
yo: contuve
The preterite uses the irregular 'tuv' stem: contuve, contuviste, contuvo, contuvimos, contuvisteis, contuvieron.
Imperfect
yo: contenía
The imperfect of contener is completely regular: contenía, contenías, contenía, conteníamos, conteníais, contenían.
Future
yo: contendré
The future uses the irregular stem 'contendr-': contendré, contendrás, contendrá, contendremos, contendréis, contendrán.
Present Subjunctive
yo: contenga
The present subjunctive is based on the 'yo' form: contenga, contengas, contenga, contengamos, contengáis, contengan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contuviera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'contuv-' stem: contuviera, contuvieras, contuviera, contuviéramos, contuvierais, contuvieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: contén
Direct commands for contener: contén (tú), contenga (usted), contened (vosotros), contengan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no contengas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no contengas, no contenga, no contengamos, no contengáis, no contengan.