Contender Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

contender means "to contend, to compete" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Contender means to contend or compete for something: contender por el título, contender con su rival. It takes por for the prize and con for the opponent. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of contender; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the contender present tense page.

contender in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo contiendo por el título de campeón — "I contend for the championship title"
  2. Mi amigo contiende con su rival en la final — "My friend contends with his rival in the final"
  3. Mañana, tú contenderás por un puesto en el equipo — "Tomorrow, you will contend for a place in the team"
  4. Yo contendería en las elecciones locales si pudiera — "I would contend in the local elections if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo contendí por el título de campeón — "Yesterday, I contended for the championship title"
  2. Antes, nosotros contendíamos con su rival en la final — "Before, we used to contend with his rival in the final"
  3. Él ha contendido por un puesto en el equipo — "He has contended for a place in the team"
  4. Yo ya había contendido en las elecciones locales antes de salir — "I already had contended in the local elections before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él contienda por el título de campeón — "I hope he contends for the championship title"
  2. Si yo contendiera con su rival en la final, todo cambiaría — "If I contended with his rival in the final, everything would change"
  3. Contiende por un puesto en el equipo. — "Contend for a place in the team."
  4. Yo habría contendido en las elecciones locales con más tiempo — "I would have contended in the local elections with more time"

contender in conversation

Two short dialogues that use contender the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo contiendo por el título de campeón — "I contend for the championship title"
  • Marcos: Él contiende con su rival en la final — "He contends with his rival in the final"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo contendí por un puesto en el equipo — "Yesterday, I contended for a place in the team"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú contenderás en las elecciones locales — "Tomorrow, you will contend in the local elections"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Contiende por el premio mayor. — "Contend for the top prize."
  • Lucía: Él ha contendido por el título de campeón — "He has contended for the championship title"
  • Marcos: Espero que él contienda con su rival en la final — "I hope he contends with his rival in the final"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo contendía por un puesto en el equipo — "Before, I used to contend for a place in the team"

Common mistakes with contender

The errors learners actually make with contender, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo contendo en las elecciones locales.

✓ Correct: Yo contiendo en las elecciones locales.

contender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is contiendo, not contendo.

✗ *Espero que él contiende en las elecciones locales

✓ Correct: Espero que él contienda en las elecciones locales

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él contienda en las elecciones locales — not the indicative Espero que él contiende en las elecciones locales.

✗ *Ayer, yo contiendo por el premio mayor

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo contendí por el premio mayor

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo contendí por el premio mayor.

✗ *De niño, yo contendí por el título de campeón todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo contendía por el título de campeón todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo contendía por el título de campeón todos los días.

✗ *Yo contiendo un puesto en el equipo.

✓ Correct: Yo contiendo por un puesto en el equipo.

contender takes por before this complement: Yo contiendo por un puesto en el equipo. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: contender in use

Ten questions on contender — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por el título de campeón — "I contend for the championship title" (present) A. contiendes B. contiende C. contendemos D. contiendo

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ con su rival en la final — "Yesterday, I contended with his rival in the final" (preterite) A. contendí B. contendiste C. contendió D. contendimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ por un puesto en el equipo — "Before, we used to contend for a place in the team" (imperfect) A. contendías B. contendíais C. contendíamos D. contendía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ en las elecciones locales — "Tomorrow, you will contend in the local elections" (future) A. contenderá B. contenderemos C. contenderás D. contenderé

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ por el premio mayor — "I would contend for the top prize" (conditional) A. contenderíamos B. contenderíais C. contendería D. contenderías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ por el título de campeón — "He has contended for the championship title" (present perfect) A. ha contendido B. he contendido C. has contendido D. hemos contendido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ con su rival en la final — "I hope he contends with his rival in the final" (present subjunctive) A. contiendas B. contendamos C. contendáis D. contienda

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ por un puesto en el equipo. — "Contend for a place in the team." (affirmative imperative) A. contendamos B. contended C. contiende D. contienda

  9. Which is the gerund of contender, used with estar for the progressive? A. contendiendo B. contendido C. contiendo D. contendí

  10. What does contender mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to cross C. to contend D. to compete

Answer key

  1. contiendo — The present form for yo is contiendo.
  2. contendí — The preterite form for yo is contendí.
  3. contendíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is contendíamos.
  4. contenderás — The future form for tú is contenderás.
  5. contendería — The conditional form for yo is contendería.
  6. ha contendido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha contendido.
  7. contienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is contienda.
  8. contiende — The affirmative imperative form is contiende.
  9. contendiendo — The gerund of contender is contendiendo: estoy contendiendo. The participle contendido is used with haber instead.
  10. to contend — contender means to contend.

Frequently asked questions

What does contender mean in English?

contender means to contend, to compete. For example: Yo contiendo por el título de campeón — "I contend for the championship title". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with contender?

contender takes por before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with contender.

Is contender regular?

No. contender is a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: contiendo, contiendes, contiende and contienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: contendemos, contendéis.

How do I practise contender?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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