Contar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of contar — to tell — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. 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. This page gives you the complete present tense table for contar, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo cuento cuentos a mis hijos.” — “I tell stories to my children”.

Present tense conjugation of contar

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for contar. Contar is an o → ue stem-changing irregular -ar verb (irregular in present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present tense indicative — contar

Person Form
yo cuento
tú cuentas
él/ella/Ud. cuenta
nosotros/as contamos
vosotros/as contáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuentan

The gerund of contar is contando and the past participle is contado. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of contar is formed

The present tense of contar does not follow the regular pattern. It has a o → ue stem change, so the stem vowel changes in the stressed forms. If contar were regular, the present tense forms would be yo → conto, tú → contas, él/ella/Ud. → conta, nosotros/as → contamos, vosotros/as → contáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → contan — but contar breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis and cuentan.

The stem change affects the stressed forms only: cuento, cuentas, cuenta and cuentan change, while contamos and contáis keep the plain stem. That is the rule for every o → ue stem-changing verb, and it is why the nosotros and vosotros forms are the safe ones to fall back on when you are unsure.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, contáis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of contar

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with contar: “Yo cuento cuentos a mis hijos.” — “I tell stories to my children”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with contar: “Ella cuenta hasta cien sin parar.” — “She counts to a hundred without stopping”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with contar: “Nosotros contamos con tu ayuda.” — “We count on your help”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with contar: “Ellos cuentan chistes en la fiesta.” — “They tell jokes at the party”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: contar now, contar later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo cuento cuentos todos los días.” — “I tell stories every day.”

  • Future: “Yo contaré cuentos mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will tell stories.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella cuenta cuentos ahora.” — “She tells stories now.”

  • Future: “Ella contará cuentos la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will tell stories.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros contamos cuentos en clase.” — “We tell stories in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros contaremos cuentos el lunes.” — “On Monday we will tell stories.”

Example sentences: contar in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of contar, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “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.”

Common mistakes with contar in the present tense

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 in a stressed form.

Right: Use the changed stem: cuento.

The o → ue stem change applies to the stressed forms of contar — the yo form is cuento, not the plain stem.

Quiz: contar in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of contar. 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 tú form of contar in the present tense?

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

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is cuentas.

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

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

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

4. What is the nosotros/as form of contar in the present tense?

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

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is contamos.

5. 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.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ hasta cien sin parar.” (She counts to a hundred without stopping.)

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

Answer: D — The sentence needs cuenta.

7. Which sentence is correct?

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

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

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo cuento cuentos a mis hijos.
  • B) Contar con un cuento — mixing the senses.

Answer: A — Contar un cuento is to tell a story; contar con is to count on someone.

Frequently asked questions

Is contar regular in the present tense?

No. contar is irregular in the present tense: the forms are cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis and cuentan. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

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

It is cuento. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for contar it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of contar instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of contar?

Say the six forms aloud in order — cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis, cuentan — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and 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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