How to Say "to contain" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to contain” is “contener” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishA2
verbA2
holding something inside
Examples
Esta caja contiene libros viejos.
This box contains old books.
El refresco contiene mucho azúcar.
The soda contains a lot of sugar.
El documento contiene información importante.
The document contains important information.
The 'Tener' Connection
This word is just the word 'tener' (to have) with 'con-' at the beginning. It follows all the same weird spelling changes as 'tener'.
Present Tense Spelling
Mistake: “yo contengo (correct), yo conteno (incorrect)”
Correction: Just like you say 'yo tengo', you must say 'yo contengo' with a 'g' sound.
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.