Introduction
contemplar means “to contemplate, to look at”. It belongs to the group of Spanish verbs that express “to contemplate, to look at”, and once you can conjugate it you can say a surprising amount with a single verb. This page is the complete reference for contemplar: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, with notes on usage, real example sentences, common mistakes, a quiz and frequently asked questions. contemplar is a regular -ar verb. If it is irregular in a tense, the note under that table says so plainly, and the forms in the table are the correct ones — copy them, do not guess them from the infinitive. A first example to fix the verb in your mind: “Yo contemplo el paisaje todos los días.” — “I contemplate the landscape.”
Quick facts
| Infinitive | contemplar |
| English | to contemplate, to look at |
| Verb type | Regular -ar verb |
| Gerund | contemplando |
| Past participle | contemplado |
| Auxiliary verb | haber |
Full conjugation tables
Gerund: contemplando · Past participle: contemplado
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contemplo |
| tú | contemplas |
| él/ella/Ud. | contempla |
| nosotros/as | contemplamos |
| vosotros/as | contempláis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contemplan |
The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For contemplar, the yo form is contemplo, as in “Yo contemplo el paisaje.” — “I contemplate the landscape.”
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contemplé |
| tú | contemplaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | contempló |
| nosotros/as | contemplamos |
| vosotros/as | contemplasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contemplaron |
The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. For contemplar, the yo form is contemplé, as in “Yo contemplé el paisaje.” — “I contemplated the landscape.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contemplaba |
| tú | contemplabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | contemplaba |
| nosotros/as | contemplábamos |
| vosotros/as | contemplabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contemplaban |
The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. For contemplar, the yo form is contemplaba, as in “Yo contemplaba el paisaje.” — “I used to contemplate the landscape.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contemplaré |
| tú | contemplarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | contemplará |
| nosotros/as | contemplaremos |
| vosotros/as | contemplaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contemplarán |
The future tense states what will happen. It is also used for predictions and promises. For contemplar, the yo form is contemplaré, as in “Yo contemplaré el paisaje.” — “I will contemplate the landscape.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contemplaría |
| tú | contemplarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | contemplaría |
| nosotros/as | contemplaríamos |
| vosotros/as | contemplaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contemplarían |
The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. For contemplar, the yo form is contemplaría, as in “Yo contemplaría el paisaje.” — “I would contemplate the landscape.”
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he contemplado |
| tú | has contemplado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha contemplado |
| nosotros/as | hemos contemplado |
| vosotros/as | habéis contemplado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han contemplado |
The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. For contemplar, the yo form is he contemplado, as in “Yo he contemplado el paisaje.” — “I have contemplated the landscape.”
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había contemplado |
| tú | habías contemplado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había contemplado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos contemplado |
| vosotros/as | habíais contemplado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían contemplado |
The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event. For contemplar, the yo form is había contemplado, as in “Yo había contemplado el paisaje.” — “I had contemplated the landscape.”
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré contemplado |
| tú | habrás contemplado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá contemplado |
| nosotros/as | habremos contemplado |
| vosotros/as | habréis contemplado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán contemplado |
The future perfect describes something that will already be finished by a future moment. For contemplar, the yo form is habré contemplado, as in “Yo habré contemplado el paisaje.” — “I will have contemplated the landscape.”
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría contemplado |
| tú | habrías contemplado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría contemplado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos contemplado |
| vosotros/as | habríais contemplado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían contemplado |
The conditional perfect describes what would have happened under different conditions. For contemplar, the yo form is habría contemplado, as in “Yo habría contemplado el paisaje.” — “I would have contemplated the landscape.”
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contemple |
| tú | contemples |
| él/ella/Ud. | contemple |
| nosotros/as | contemplemos |
| vosotros/as | contempléis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contemplen |
The present subjunctive is used after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and influence. For contemplar, the yo form is contemple, as in “Espero que yo contemple el paisaje.” — “I hope that I contemplate the landscape.”
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contemplara |
| tú | contemplaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | contemplara |
| nosotros/as | contempláramos |
| vosotros/as | contemplarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contemplaran |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past versions of subjunctive clauses, and after "si" in hypothetical sentences. For contemplar, the yo form is contemplara, as in “Si yo contemplara el paisaje, ...” — “If I contemplated the landscape, ...”
The -se variant of this tense follows the same pattern with -se instead of -ra: contemplara becomes contemplase, and the same change applies to every person. Both variants mean the same thing; -ra is more common in everyday speech.
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | contempla |
| Ud. | contemple |
| nosotros/as | contemplemos |
| vosotros/as | contemplad |
| Uds. | contemplen |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | contemples |
| Ud. | contemple |
| nosotros/as | contemplemos |
| vosotros/as | contempléis |
| Uds. | contemplen |
The imperative is for orders, requests and advice. The affirmative tú form is contempla, as in “¡Contempla el paisaje” — “Contemplate the landscape” For the negative imperative, Spanish uses the subjunctive forms: no contemples. Note that the affirmative and negative forms differ, so check the table above before you give an order with contemplar.
Example sentences
Here are ten sentences with contemplar, covering different tenses and persons. Read each one out loud, then read the translation, and notice how the verb form changes while the meaning stays the same.
- “Yo contemplo el paisaje cada día.” — “I contemplate the landscape.”
- “Él contempla el paisaje todos los días.” — “He contemplates the landscape.”
- “Yo contemplé el paisaje ayer.” — “I contemplated the landscape.”
- “Él contempló el paisaje ayer.” — “He contemplated the landscape.”
- “Yo contemplaba el paisaje cuando era joven.” — “I used to contemplate the landscape.”
- “Nosotros contemplaremos el paisaje mañana.” — “We will contemplate the landscape.”
- “Si pudiera, yo contemplaría el paisaje.” — “If I could, i would contemplate the landscape.”
- “Yo he contemplado el paisaje hoy.” — “I have contemplated the landscape.”
- “Espero que yo contemple el paisaje.” — “I hope that I contemplate the landscape.”
- “estoy contemplando el paisaje ahora mismo.” — “I am contemplating the landscape.”
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
- contemplo — The present table gives yo = contemplo.
- contemplaste — The preterite table gives tu = contemplaste.
- contemplaba — The imperfect table gives el = contemplaba.
- contemplaremos — The future table gives nosotros = contemplaremos.
- habéis contemplado — The present perfect table gives vosotros = habéis contemplado.
- contemplen — The present subjunctive table gives ellos = contemplen.
- contemplé — The preterite table gives yo = contemplé.
- contemplabas — The imperfect table gives tu = contemplabas.
- contemplará — The future table gives el = contemplará.
- contemplaríamos — The conditional table gives nosotros = contemplaríamos.
Frequently asked questions
Is contemplar regular or irregular?
contemplar is a regular -ar verb. It follows the regular patterns for its ending in every tense. The tables on this page show the correct form for every person, so use them rather than guessing.
What is the past participle of contemplar?
The past participle of contemplar is contemplado. You use it with haber in the perfect tenses — he contemplado, había contemplado, habré contemplado — and after estar in passive-style descriptions. It is the regular participle for its verb class. Learn it together with the gerund contemplando and you have the two non-finite forms covered.
What is the gerund of contemplar?
The gerund of contemplar is contemplando. You use it with estar to describe an action in progress, as in estoy contemplando, and after verbs such as seguir and ir. Keep it distinct from the past participle contemplado, which belongs with haber, not with estar.
What is the yo form of contemplar in the present?
The yo form is contemplo — “Yo contemplo el paisaje.” means “I contemplate the landscape.” That is the form you will use most often when you talk about yourself. For other persons, use the present table above: tú contemplas, él contempla, nosotros contemplamos, ellos contemplan.
What is the difference between contemplar and conservar?
contemplar means “to contemplate, to look at”, while conservar means “to preserve, to keep”. They share letters and sometimes a root, but they are different verbs. If your sentence means “to contemplate, to look at”, use contemplar; if it is about the meaning of conservar, use conservar instead. Checking the English meaning first prevents most mix-ups.
Related links
- contemplar in the present tense — the full present-tense page for this verb.
- contemplar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub with every verb on VerbFlow.
- conservar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- considerar conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- consistir conjugation — another verb in the same family.
- Verb conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb instantly.
- Verb quiz — practise conjugations with timed questions.