Introduction

contemplar means “to contemplate, to look at”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. It is the verb for expressing “to contemplate, to look at” in everyday Spanish — in conversation, at work, and at home. This page shows contemplar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo contemplo el paisaje por la mañana.” — “I contemplate the landscape.”

contemplar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how contemplar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use {verb} in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo contemplo el paisaje cada día.” — “I contemplate the landscape.”
  2. “Tú contemplas el paisaje cada día.” — “you contemplate the landscape.”
  3. “Él contempla el paisaje siempre.” — “He contemplates the landscape.”
  4. “Nosotros contemplamos el paisaje todos los días.” — “We contemplate the landscape.”

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show {verb} in the past, so you can talk about what already happened. 5. “Yo contemplé el paisaje ayer.” — “I contemplated the landscape.” (preterite) 6. “Él contempló el paisaje ayer.” — “He contemplated the landscape.” (preterite) 7. “Yo contemplaba el paisaje cuando era joven.” — “I used to contemplate the landscape.” (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of {verb} stays the same. 8. “Nosotros contemplaremos el paisaje mañana.” — “We will contemplate the landscape.” (future) 9. “Tú has contemplado el paisaje hoy.” — “you have contemplated the landscape.” (present-perfect) 10. “Espero que yo contemple el paisaje.” — “I hope that I contemplate the landscape.” (present-subjunctive)

More everyday uses

Two more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action. 11. “Vosotros contempláis el paisaje cada semana.” — “You contemplate the landscape.” 12. “Ellos contemplan el paisaje normalmente.” — “They contemplate the landscape.”

contemplar in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how contemplar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

Dialogue at home in the evening

Ana: “¿Tú contemplas el paisaje?” — Do you contemplate the landscape?

Luis: “Sí, yo contemplo el paisaje cada día. Es parte de mi rutina.” — Yes, I contemplate the landscape every day. It is part of my routine.

Ana: “¿Y ayer? ¿También contemplas el paisaje?” — And yesterday? Did you contemplate the landscape too?

Luis: “Sí, ayer yo contemplé el paisaje. Mañana nosotros contemplaremos el paisaje otra vez.” — Yes, yesterday I contemplated the landscape. Tomorrow we will contemplate the landscape again.

A short paragraph

Él contempla el paisaje cada día — that one sentence already tells you a lot about how contemplar works in real Spanish: who does it, when, and with what. Around it you can build a whole paragraph: what happened yesterday, what is happening now, and what will happen tomorrow, all with the same verb. When you write your own paragraph, start with the present — yo contemplo el paisaje — then add one past sentence and one future sentence, and you have practised three tenses with one verb. That is the fastest way to make contemplar yours: use it in a story, not only in a table.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the accent in the preterite

The yo preterite form is contemplé, with an accent on the stressed vowel. Writing it without the accent — contemple — is a spelling error, and in speech the stress lands in the wrong place. Preterite yo forms that end in a vowel carry that accent, so check it every time you write the preterite of contemplar.

Mixing up present and preterite nosotros

For contemplar, the nosotros form is the same in the present and the preterite: contemplamos. Only the context tells you which tense is meant, so pay attention to the time words around it — cada día points to the present, ayer points to the preterite. Do not invent a different form for one of the tenses.

Using ser instead of haber in perfect tenses

Spanish perfect tenses always use haber, never ser: yo he contemplado el paisaje. English speakers sometimes reach for soy because English uses to be in some passives, but soy contemplado is not the present perfect of contemplar — it is a passive construction with a different meaning.

Confusing contemplar with conservar

contemplar and conservar look similar, and learners mix them up. They are different verbs with different meanings, so check which one the sentence needs before you conjugate. If you can substitute the English meaning of contemplar — contemplate — the sentence needs contemplar; if it needs the meaning of conservar, use that verb instead.

Using the indicative after "espero que"

After espero que (I hope that), Spanish needs the subjunctive: Espero que yo contemple el paisaje. Using the indicative — Espero que yo contemplo — is one of the most frequent learner errors with contemplar. Whenever the main clause expresses a wish, doubt or emotion, switch to the subjunctive.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the best answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the yo form of contemplar in the present?

  • A. contemplas
  • B. contempla
  • C. contemplamos
  • D. contemplo

2. What is the tu form of contemplar in the preterite?

  • A. contemplamos
  • B. contemplaste
  • C. contemplé
  • D. contempló

3. What is the el form of contemplar in the imperfect?

  • A. contemplabas
  • B. contemplábamos
  • C. contemplabais
  • D. contemplaba

4. What is the nosotros form of contemplar in the future?

  • A. contemplará
  • B. contemplaremos
  • C. contemplaré
  • D. contemplarás

5. What is the vosotros form of contemplar in the present perfect?

  • A. he contemplado
  • B. has contemplado
  • C. ha contemplado
  • D. habéis contemplado

6. What is the ellos form of contemplar in the present subjunctive?

  • A. contemple
  • B. contemplen
  • C. contemple
  • D. contemples

7. What is the yo form of contemplar in the preterite?

  • A. contemplaste
  • B. contempló
  • C. contemplamos
  • D. contemplé

8. What is the tu form of contemplar in the imperfect?

  • A. contemplábamos
  • B. contemplabas
  • C. contemplaba
  • D. contemplaba

9. What is the el form of contemplar in the future?

  • A. contemplaré
  • B. contemplarás
  • C. contemplaremos
  • D. contemplará

10. What is the nosotros form of contemplar in the conditional?

  • A. contemplaría
  • B. contemplaríamos
  • C. contemplaría
  • D. contemplarías

Answer key

  1. contemplo — The present table gives yo = contemplo.
  2. contemplaste — The preterite table gives tu = contemplaste.
  3. contemplaba — The imperfect table gives el = contemplaba.
  4. contemplaremos — The future table gives nosotros = contemplaremos.
  5. habéis contemplado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis contemplado.
  6. contemplen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = contemplen.
  7. contemplé — The preterite table gives yo = contemplé.
  8. contemplabas — The imperfect table gives tu = contemplabas.
  9. contemplará — The future table gives el = contemplará.
  10. contemplaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = contemplaríamos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use contemplar in a sentence?

Put the subject first, then the conjugated form, then the rest: “Yo contemplo el paisaje.” — “I contemplate the landscape.” Change the form for the person and the tense, but keep the sentence pattern the same.

What is the most useful form of contemplar to learn first?

Learn the present yo form contemplo first, then the preterite yo form contemplé and the participle contemplado. With those three you can talk about the present, the past and the perfect tenses. Add the gerund contemplando next, and you can describe actions in progress too.

Is contemplar reflexive?

No — contemplar is not reflexive. It takes a direct object, not a reflexive pronoun: yo contemplo el paisaje. Do not add me or se to it unless the sentence genuinely needs a pronoun for another reason.

Where can I see the full conjugation of contemplar?

On the main conjugation page for contemplar, which has every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, plus notes, examples and a quiz. The present-tense page covers one tense in depth if that is what you need right now.

Related links