contener Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
contener — to contain
Direct commands for contener: contén (tú), contenga (usted), contened (vosotros), contengan (ustedes).
contener Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
Use the imperative to tell someone to hold back an emotion or to ensure a container holds something specific.
Notes on contener in the Affirmative Imperative
The 'tú' form is short (contén) and has an accent, following the pattern of 'ten'.
Example Sentences
¡Contén la risa!
Hold back your laughter!
tú
Contenga la respiración por diez segundos.
Hold your breath for ten seconds.
usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: contiene (as command)
Correct: contén
Why: The informal command for -tener verbs is irregular and short; it is not the same as the él/ella present form.
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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.
Conditional
yo: contendría
The conditional uses the irregular stem 'contendr-': contendría, contendrías, contendría, contendríamos, contendríais, contendrían.
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.
Negative Imperative
yo: no contengas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no contengas, no contenga, no contengamos, no contengáis, no contengan.