contestar Preterite Conjugation
contestar — to answer
Use 'contesté', 'contestaste', 'contestó' for completed past actions.
contestar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
The preterite is for actions in the past that have a clear beginning and end. If you answered a specific question at a specific time, or finished answering all emails yesterday, use the preterite.
Notes on contestar in the Preterite
Contestar is regular in the preterite tense. It follows the standard -ar verb conjugation pattern.
Example Sentences
Yo contesté la pregunta correctamente.
I answered the question correctly.
yo
¿Tú contestaste el correo de la empresa?
Did you answer the company's email?
tú
Él contestó el teléfono de inmediato.
He answered the phone immediately.
él/ella/usted
Ellos contestaron la llamada y se fueron.
They answered the call and left.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the imperfect 'contestaba' for a single, completed action.
Correct: For a specific, finished action in the past, use the preterite: 'contesté'.
Why: The preterite marks completion, while the imperfect describes ongoing or habitual past actions.
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on 'contesté' (yo) and 'contestó' (él/ella/usted).
Correct: The forms 'contesté' and 'contestó' both require an accent on the final vowel.
Why: The accents indicate the stressed syllable and differentiate these forms.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: contesto
Use 'contesto', 'contestas', 'contesta' for actions happening now or habitually.
Imperfect
yo: contestaba
Use 'contestaba', 'contestabas', etc., for ongoing or habitual past actions.
Future
yo: contestaré
The future tense 'contestaré', 'contestarás', etc., indicates actions that will happen.
Conditional
yo: contestaría
Use 'contestaría', 'contestarías', etc., for hypothetical situations ('would answer').
Present Subjunctive
yo: conteste
Use 'conteste' (yo/él/ella/usted) and 'contestes' (tú) for wishes, doubts, or influence.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contestara
Use 'contestara' or 'contestase' for past hypotheticals, wishes, or doubts.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: contesta
Use 'contesta' (tú) and 'conteste' (usted) for direct commands to answer.
Negative Imperative
yo: no contestes
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive, like 'no contestes' (tú) or 'no conteste' (usted).