Contener in the Preterite Tense
Contener means “to contain”, and this page covers exactly one thing: contener in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for contener, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about contener in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo contuve mucha información en pocas páginas.” — Yesterday, I contained a lot of information in a few pages. Everything on this page uses the forms of contener exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Contener in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contuve |
| tú | contuviste |
| él/ella/Ud. | contuvo |
| nosotros/as | contuvimos |
| vosotros/as | contuvisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contuvieron |
Gerund: conteniendo · Past participle: contenido
The gerund is conteniendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy conteniendo” means the action of contener is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is contenido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he contenido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how contener is used.
How the preterite of contener is formed
Contener does not use one regular stem in this tense, so the forms below do not follow the simple stem + endings pattern. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of tener, with changes in the present, the preterite (the -uv- stem), the future and conditional, and the subjunctive. Learn the forms in the table rather than applying the regular endings. Learn the six forms as a set: yo contuve, tú contuviste, él/ella/Ud. contuvo, nosotros/as contuvimos, vosotros/as contuvisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. contuvieron.
When to use the preterite of contener
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use contener in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. One finished action
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo contuve mucha información en pocas páginas.” — Yesterday, I contained a lot of information in a few pages.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros contuvimos tres litros de agua.” — We contained three litres of water.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él contuvo la respiración en el examen ayer.” — He contained my breath in the exam yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos contuvieron los nervios antes de hablar de repente.” — They contained my nerves before speaking suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú contuviste mucha información en pocas páginas la semana pasada.” — You contained a lot of information in a few pages last week.
Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Ayer, yo contuve mucha información en pocas páginas.” — Yesterday, I contained a lot of information in a few pages.
Imperfect: “Yo contenía mucha información en pocas páginas cada día.” — I used to contain a lot of information in a few pages every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él contuvo tres litros de agua.” — Last night, he contained three litres of water.
Imperfect: “Él contenía tres litros de agua todos los días.” — He used to contain three litres of water every day.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros contuvimos la respiración en el examen ayer.” — We contained my breath in the exam yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros conteníamos la respiración en el examen cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to contain my breath in the exam when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: contener in the preterite
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Contuve mucha información en pocas páginas.” — I contained a lot of information in a few pages.
“Contuviste tres litros de agua.” — You contained three litres of water.
“Contuvo la respiración en el examen.” — He/she contained my breath in the exam.
“Contuvimos los nervios antes de hablar.” — We contained my nerves before speaking.
“Contuvisteis mucha información en pocas páginas.” — You contained a lot of information in a few pages.
“Contuvieron tres litros de agua.” — They contained three litres of water.
“Contuve la respiración en el examen.” — I contained my breath in the exam.
“Contuvo los nervios antes de hablar.” — He/she contained my nerves before speaking.
Common mistakes with contener in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos contuvo mucha información en pocas páginas.” Right: “Ellos contuvieron mucha información en pocas páginas.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form contuvieron. The singular contuvo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
Wrong: “Ayer yo contení tres litros de agua.” Right: “Ayer yo contuve tres litros de agua.” Why: Contener has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is contuve, not the regular contení.
Wrong: “Nosotros contuviste la respiración en el examen.” Right: “Nosotros contuvimos la respiración en el examen.” Why: Nosotros needs contuvimos. The tú form contuviste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos contuve los nervios antes de hablar.” Right: “Ellos contuvieron los nervios antes de hablar.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form contuvieron, not the yo form contuve.
Quiz: contener in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ mucha información en pocas páginas.” (A lot of information in a few pages.)
- (a) contuve
- (b) contuviste
- (c) contuvo
Answer: contuve — The yo form of contener in the preterite is contuve. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ tres litros de agua?” (Three litres of water.)
- (a) contuve
- (b) contuvo
- (c) contuviste
Answer: contuviste — The tú form of contener in the preterite is contuviste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la respiración en el examen.” (My breath in the exam.)
- (a) contuviste
- (b) contuvo
- (c) contuve
Answer: contuvo — The él/ella/Ud. form of contener in the preterite is contuvo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ los nervios antes de hablar.” (My nerves before speaking.)
- (a) contuvimos
- (b) contuve
- (c) contuviste
Answer: contuvimos — The nosotros/as form of contener in the preterite is contuvimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of contener in the preterite?
- (a) contuve
- (b) contuviste
- (c) contuvisteis
Answer: contuvisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes contuvisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros contuvisteis mucha información en pocas páginas.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ tres litros de agua.” (Three litres of water.)
- (a) contuviste
- (b) contuvieron
- (c) contuve
Answer: contuvieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of contener in the preterite is contuvieron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of contener in the preterite?
- (a) contuve
- (b) contuviste
- (c) contuvo
Answer: contuve — The yo form is contuve. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo contenía mucha información en pocas páginas cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo contendré mucha información en pocas páginas.
- (c) Ayer, yo contuve mucha información en pocas páginas.
Answer: Ayer, yo contuve mucha información en pocas páginas. — “Ayer, yo contuve mucha información en pocas páginas.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is contener regular in the preterite?
No. Contener has an irregular preterite: contuve, contuviste, contuvo, contuvimos, contuvisteis, contuvieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of contener?
The past participle is contenido: 'He contenido' means 'I have contained'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is conteniendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for contener?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo contuve mucha información en pocas páginas. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo contenía mucha información en pocas páginas cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of contener?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo contuve, tú contuviste, él/ella/Ud. contuvo, nosotros/as contuvimos, vosotros/as contuvisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. contuvieron. Then write three of your own sentences with contener in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of contener — every tense of contener in one place.
- Contener examples and quiz — more sentences with contener and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on contener and other verbs.