Contender Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb contender means to contend, to compete, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, contender changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo contiendo por el título de campeón — "I contend for the championship title". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: contender
  • English: to contend, to compete
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: contendiendo
  • Past participle: contendido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + contendido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for contender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for contender. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | contiendo | | tú | contiendes | | él/ella/Ud. | contiende | | nosotros/as | contendemos | | vosotros/as | contendéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contienden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | contendí | | tú | contendiste | | él/ella/Ud. | contendió | | nosotros/as | contendimos | | vosotros/as | contendisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contendieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | contendía | | tú | contendías | | él/ella/Ud. | contendía | | nosotros/as | contendíamos | | vosotros/as | contendíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contendían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | contenderé | | tú | contenderás | | él/ella/Ud. | contenderá | | nosotros/as | contenderemos | | vosotros/as | contenderéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contenderán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | contendería | | tú | contenderías | | él/ella/Ud. | contendería | | nosotros/as | contenderíamos | | vosotros/as | contenderíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contenderían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he contendido | | tú | has contendido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha contendido | | nosotros/as | hemos contendido | | vosotros/as | habéis contendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han contendido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había contendido | | tú | habías contendido | | él/ella/Ud. | había contendido | | nosotros/as | habíamos contendido | | vosotros/as | habíais contendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían contendido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré contendido | | tú | habrás contendido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá contendido | | nosotros/as | habremos contendido | | vosotros/as | habréis contendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán contendido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría contendido | | tú | habrías contendido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría contendido | | nosotros/as | habríamos contendido | | vosotros/as | habríais contendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían contendido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | contienda | | tú | contiendas | | él/ella/Ud. | contienda | | nosotros/as | contendamos | | vosotros/as | contendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contiendan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | contendiera | | tú | contendieras | | él/ella/Ud. | contendiera | | nosotros/as | contendiéramos | | vosotros/as | contendierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contendieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | contiende | | él/ella/Ud. | contienda | | nosotros/as | contendamos | | vosotros/as | contended | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contiendan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | contiendas | | él/ella/Ud. | contienda | | nosotros/as | contendamos | | vosotros/as | contendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | contiendan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund contendiendo with estar for the progressive: está contendiendo
Past participle contendido with haber for the perfect tenses: he contendido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For contender, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo contiendo por el título de campeón — "I contend for the championship title".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo contendí con su rival en la final — "Yesterday, I contended with his rival in the final".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo contendía por un puesto en el equipo — "As a child, I used to contend for a place in the team".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo contenderé en las elecciones locales — "Tomorrow, I will contend in the local elections".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo contendería por el título de campeón si pudiera — "I would contend for the championship title if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he contendido con su rival en la final — "Today, I have contended with his rival in the final".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había contendido por un puesto en el equipo antes de salir — "I already had contended for a place in the team before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré contendido en las elecciones locales — "By tomorrow, I will have contended in the local elections".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría contendido por el título de campeón con más tiempo — "I would have contended for the championship title with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For contender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él contienda con su rival en la final — "I hope he contends with his rival in the final".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contender, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo contendiera por un puesto en el equipo, todo cambiaría — "If I contended for a place in the team, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For contender, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Contiende en las elecciones locales. — "Contend in the local elections.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For contender, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No contiendas por el título de campeón. — "Do not contend for the championship title.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with contender, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo contendí por un puesto en el equipo — "Yesterday, I contended for a place in the team"
  4. Antes, nosotros contendíamos en las elecciones locales — "Before, we used to contend in the local elections"
  5. Mañana, tú contenderás por el premio mayor — "Tomorrow, you will contend for the top prize"
  6. Yo contendería por el título de campeón si tuviera más tiempo — "I would contend for the championship title if I had more time"
  7. Él ha contendido con su rival en la final — "He has contended with his rival in the final"
  8. Espero que él contienda por un puesto en el equipo — "I hope he contends for a place in the team"
  9. Yo ya había contendido en las elecciones locales antes de salir — "I already had contended in the local elections before leaving"
  10. Ellos contendían por el premio mayor cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to contend for the top prize when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo contendo con su rival en la final. — Right: Yo contiendo con su rival en la final. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él contiende con su rival en la final — Right: Espero que él contienda con su rival en la final — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él contienda con su rival en la final — not the indicative Espero que él contiende con su rival en la final.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo contiendo por un puesto en el equipo — Right: Ayer, yo contendí por un puesto en el equipo — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo contendí por un puesto en el equipo.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo contendí en las elecciones locales todos los días — Right: De niño, yo contendía en las elecciones locales todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo contendía en las elecciones locales todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo contiendo el título de campeón. — Right: Yo contiendo por el título de campeón. — contender takes por before this complement: Yo contiendo por el título de campeón. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on contender. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ con su rival en la final — "He contended with his rival in the final" (preterite) A. contendiste B. contendimos C. contendió D. contendí

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ en las elecciones locales — "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: Espero que él ______ por el título de campeón — "I hope he contends for the championship title" (present subjunctive) A. contiendas B. contendamos C. contendáis D. contienda

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ con su rival en la final, todo cambiaría — "If I contended with his rival in the final, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. contendiéramos B. contendierais C. contendiera D. contendieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ por un puesto en el equipo — "We have contended for a place in the team" (present perfect) A. hemos contendido B. he contendido C. has contendido D. ha contendido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ en las elecciones locales. — "Do not contend in the local elections." (negative imperative) A. contendamos B. contendáis C. contiendas D. contienda

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

Answer key

  1. contiendo — The present form for yo is contiendo.
  2. contendió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is contendió.
  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. contienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is contienda.
  7. contendiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is contendiera.
  8. hemos contendido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos contendido.
  9. contiendas — The negative imperative form is contiendas.
  10. contendiendo — The gerund of contender is contendiendo: estoy contendiendo. The participle contendido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does contender mean in English?

contender means to contend, to compete. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of contender?

The gerund is contendiendo and the past participle is contendido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I contend" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo contendí con su rival en la final — "Yesterday, I contended with his rival in the final". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo contendía por un puesto en el equipo — "As a child, I used to contend for a place in the team". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he contendido con su rival en la final — "Today, I have contended with his rival in the final".

What is the difference between contender and competir?

Competir is the everyday verb for competing. Contender is more formal and often used for titles, prizes and elections. 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.

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