
contraer Negative Imperative Conjugation
contraer — to contract
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms: no contraigas, no contraiga.
contraer Negative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Negative Imperative
Use this to tell someone NOT to do something, like not catching a disease or not taking on a debt.
Notes on contraer in the Negative Imperative
Because it uses the subjunctive, the 'g' (contraig-) is present in all forms.
Example Sentences
No contraigas deudas innecesarias.
Don't take on unnecessary debts.
tú
No contraigan el virus por ser imprudentes.
Don't catch the virus by being reckless.
ustedes
No contraigamos matrimonio todavía.
Let's not get married yet.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'no contrae'.
Correct: Say 'no contraigas'.
Why: Negative commands must use the subjunctive, not the indicative.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'contraer' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: contraigo
The present tense of contraer is irregular in the 'yo' form (contraigo), but follows regular -er patterns for the rest.
Preterite
yo: contraje
The preterite of contraer is highly irregular, using a 'j' stem: contraje, contrajiste, contrajo.
Imperfect
yo: contraía
The imperfect of contraer is completely regular: contraía, contraías, contraía.
Future
yo: contraeré
The future tense of contraer is regular: contraeré, contraerás, contraerá.
Conditional
yo: contraería
The conditional of contraer is regular: contraería, contraerías, contraería.
Present Subjunctive
yo: contraiga
The present subjunctive uses the 'contraig-' stem: contraiga, contraigas, contraiga.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: contrajera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'j' stem: contrajera, contrajeras, contrajera.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: contrae
The imperative uses 'contrae' for informal 'tú' and 'contraiga' for formal 'usted'.