Contar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

contar — to tell — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Contar means to tell, to count, and to have: contar un cuento, contar hasta diez, contar con alguien (to count on someone). It is an o → ue stem-changing verb (cuento, cuentas, cuenta). The sense changes with the construction, so examples matter more than a one-word translation. On this page you will find contar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with contar

In the present tense

  • “Yo cuento cuentos a mis hijos.” — “I tell stories to my children.”
  • “Ella cuenta hasta cien sin parar.” — “She counts to a hundred without stopping.”
  • “Nosotros contamos con tu ayuda.” — “We count on your help.”
  • “Ellos cuentan chistes en la fiesta.” — “They tell jokes at the party.”
  • “¿Tú cuentas conmigo para el proyecto?” — “Are you counting on me for the project?”
  • “Vosotros contáis los días hasta las vacaciones.” — “You count the days until the holidays.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo conté una historia divertida.” — “Yesterday I told a funny story.”
  • “Ella contó el dinero antes de salir.” — “She counted the money before leaving.”
  • “Nosotros contamos con la ayuda de Juan.” — “We counted on Juan’s help.”
  • “Ellos contaron un secreto a nadie.” — “They did not tell the secret to anyone.”
  • “¿Tú contaste a tus padres lo del viaje?” — “Did you tell your parents about the trip?”
  • “El abuelo contó cuentos a los niños.” — “Grandfather told stories to the children.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo contaba cuentos a mis hijos.” — “As a child, I used to tell stories to my children.”
  • “Mañana, yo contaré cuentos a mis hijos.” — “Tomorrow, I will tell stories to my children.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo contaría cuentos a mis hijos.” — “If I could, I would tell stories to my children.”
  • “Yo he contado cuentos a mis hijos.” — “I have told stories to my children.”

Contar in context

Cada día, yo cuento cuentos a mis hijos. Mi amigo también cuenta cuentos a mis hijos cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo cuento cuentos de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de contar es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo conté cuentos a mis hijos. Mi amigo contó cuentos a mis hijos también, y por la noche yo conté cuentos otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de contar aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with contar

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo conto cuentos.

Right: Yo cuento cuentos.

Contar changes o to ue: cuento, not conto.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Contar con un cuento — mixing the senses.

Right: Yo cuento cuentos a mis hijos.

Contar un cuento is to tell a story; contar con is to count on someone.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem instead of the changed stem.

Right: Use the changed stem in the stressed forms: cuento.

The o → ue stem change applies to contar in the present — the yo form is cuento, not the infinitive stem.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Treating contar as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present cuento, preterite conté.

contar is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: contar in everyday use

Ten questions on contar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of contar in the present tense?

  • A) cuento
  • B) cuentas
  • C) cuenta
  • D) contamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is cuento.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of contar in the present tense?

  • A) cuento
  • B) cuentas
  • C) contamos
  • D) cuenta

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is cuenta.

3. What is the yo form of contar in the preterite?

  • A) contó
  • B) contamos
  • C) conté
  • D) contaste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is conté.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of contar in the preterite?

  • A) contó
  • B) contaron
  • C) conté
  • D) contaste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is contaron.

5. What is the yo form of contar in the imperfect?

  • A) contaba
  • B) contabas
  • C) contaba
  • D) contábamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is contaba.

6. What is the tú form of contar in the future?

  • A) contaré
  • B) contará
  • C) contaremos
  • D) contarás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is contarás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of contar in the conditional?

  • A) contarías
  • B) contaríamos
  • C) contaría
  • D) contaría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is contaría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of contar in the present perfect?

  • A) ha contado
  • B) hemos contado
  • C) he contado
  • D) has contado

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos contado.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ cuentos a mis hijos.” (I tell stories to my children.)

  • A) cuento
  • B) cuentas
  • C) cuenta
  • D) contamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs cuento.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo cuento cuentos.
  • B) Yo conto cuentos.

Answer: A — Contar changes o to ue: cuento, not conto.

Frequently asked questions

What does contar mean?

contar means “to tell” in English. Contar means to tell, to count, and to have: contar un cuento, contar hasta diez, contar con alguien (to count on someone). It is an o → ue stem-changing verb (cuento, cuentas, cuenta). The sense changes with the construction, so examples matter more than a one-word translation.

Is contar regular?

No. contar is an o → ue stem-changing irregular -ar verb (irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use contar in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — conté, contaste, contó — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — contaba, contabas, contaba — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to contar as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise contar?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Contar Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for contar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo cuento…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo conté…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo contaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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