cuenta
“cuenta” means “bill” in Spanish. It has 4 different meanings depending on context:
bill, check
📝 In Action
La cuenta, por favor.
A1The bill, please.
La cuenta de la luz es muy alta este mes.
A2The electricity bill is very high this month.
Pagamos la cuenta a medias.
B1We split the bill.
account
📝 In Action
Necesito abrir una cuenta en el banco.
A2I need to open an account at the bank.
¿Cuál es tu cuenta de Instagram?
A2What's your Instagram account?
He olvidado la contraseña de mi cuenta de correo.
B1I've forgotten my email account password.
calculation, count
Also: responsibility
📝 In Action
He perdido la cuenta de cuántas veces te lo he dicho.
B1I've lost count of how many times I've told you.
Según mis cuentas, nos deben dinero.
B1According to my calculations, they owe us money.
La cena corre por mi cuenta.
B2Dinner is on me (my responsibility).
he/she/it counts, he/she/it tells
Also: you (formal) count/tell
📝 In Action
El niño cuenta hasta diez.
A1The boy counts to ten.
Ella siempre me cuenta chistes muy buenos.
A2She always tells me very good jokes.
¿Usted cuenta con tiempo libre esta tarde?
B1Do you (formal) have free time this afternoon? (Literally: Do you count on...)
Indicative
Present
Imperfect
Preterite
Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
🔀 Commonly Confused With
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: cuenta
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'cuenta' to mean 'account'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb 'computāre', which meant 'to calculate' or 'to sum up'. You can see the family resemblance to English words like 'compute' and 'count'. Over time, the idea of calculating numbers expanded to include recounting events (telling a story) and keeping a record (an account or a bill).
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'cuenta' and 'cuento'?
They look similar but are different! 'Cuenta' is usually a bill, an account, or a calculation. 'Cuento' (with an 'o' at the end) is a story or a tale, like a fairy tale ('cuento de hadas'). Also, 'cuento' is the 'I' form of the verb 'contar' ('Yo cuento' - I count/tell), while 'cuenta' is the 'he/she/it' form ('Él cuenta' - He counts/tells).
How do I use 'darse cuenta de' vs. 'tener en cuenta'?
'Darse cuenta de' is about a moment of realization, like a lightbulb turning on in your head: '¡Me di cuenta de que dejé las llaves en casa!' (I realized I left the keys at home!). 'Tener en cuenta' is about consciously considering or remembering something when making a decision: 'Debes tener en cuenta el tráfico para llegar a tiempo.' (You have to take the traffic into account to arrive on time.)