Contener Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb contener means to contain, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Contener means to contain, and it is used for a box containing books, a bottle containing water and a book containing information. It follows the pattern of tener, with the present contengo, the preterite contuve and the future contendré. Like every Spanish verb, contener 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 contengo mucha información en pocas páginas, and in the preterite you say contuve la respiración en el examen. 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.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: contener
- English: to contain
- Verb type: irregular verb, stem-changing (e → ie)
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: conteniendo
- Past participle: contenido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + contenido)
- Stem change: e → ie in the present, present subjunctive and imperative; nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for contener, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Contener follows tener: the present is contengo, the preterite is contuve, and the future is contendré.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for contener. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contengo |
| tú | contienes |
| él/ella/Ud. | contiene |
| nosotros/as | contenemos |
| vosotros/as | contenéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contienen |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contuve |
| tú | contuviste |
| él/ella/Ud. | contuvo |
| nosotros/as | contuvimos |
| vosotros/as | contuvisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contuvieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contenía |
| tú | contenías |
| él/ella/Ud. | contenía |
| nosotros/as | conteníamos |
| vosotros/as | conteníais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contenían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contendré |
| tú | contendrás |
| él/ella/Ud. | contendrá |
| nosotros/as | contendremos |
| vosotros/as | contendréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contendrán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contendría |
| tú | contendrías |
| él/ella/Ud. | contendría |
| nosotros/as | contendríamos |
| vosotros/as | contendríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contendrían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he contenido |
| tú | has contenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha contenido |
| nosotros/as | hemos contenido |
| vosotros/as | habéis contenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han contenido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había contenido |
| tú | habías contenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había contenido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos contenido |
| vosotros/as | habíais contenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían contenido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré contenido |
| tú | habrás contenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá contenido |
| nosotros/as | habremos contenido |
| vosotros/as | habréis contenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán contenido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría contenido |
| tú | habrías contenido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría contenido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos contenido |
| vosotros/as | habríais contenido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían contenido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contenga |
| tú | contengas |
| él/ella/Ud. | contenga |
| nosotros/as | contengamos |
| vosotros/as | contengáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contengan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contuviera |
| tú | contuvieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | contuviera |
| nosotros/as | contuviéramos |
| vosotros/as | contuvierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contuvieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | contén |
| él/ella/Ud. | contenga |
| nosotros/as | contengamos |
| vosotros/as | contened |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contengan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | contengas |
| él/ella/Ud. | contenga |
| nosotros/as | contengamos |
| vosotros/as | contengáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contengan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | conteniendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy conteniendo |
| Past participle | contenido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he contenido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For contener, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Contengo mucha información en pocas páginas. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. 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. For contener, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, contuve tres litros de agua. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 contener, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, contenía la respiración en el examen. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. 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. For contener, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, contendré los nervios antes de hablar. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. 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. For contener, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Contendría mucha información en pocas páginas si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 contener, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he contenido tres litros de agua. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 contener, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había contenido la respiración en el examen antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 contener, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré contenido los nervios antes de hablar. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
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 contener, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría contenido mucha información en pocas páginas con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For contener, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él contenga tres litros de agua. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. 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. For contener, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él contuviera la respiración en el examen, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For contener, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Contén los nervios antes de hablar! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For contener, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No contengas mucha información en pocas páginas. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with contener, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Contengo mucha información en pocas páginas. — I contain a lot of information in a few pages.
- Contiene tres litros de agua. — He/she contains three litres of water.
- Ayer, contuve la respiración en el examen. — Yesterday, I contained my breath in the exam.
- Antes, nosotros conteníamos los nervios antes de hablar. — Before, we used to contain my nerves before speaking.
- Mañana, tú contendrás mucha información en pocas páginas. — Tomorrow, you will contain a lot of information in a few pages.
- Yo contendría tres litros de agua si tuviera más tiempo. — I would contain three litres of water if I had more time.
- Él ha contenido la respiración en el examen. — He has contained my breath in the exam.
- Espero que él contenga los nervios antes de hablar. — I hope he contains my nerves before speaking.
- Yo ya había contenido mucha información en pocas páginas antes de salir. — I had already contained a lot of information in a few pages before leaving.
- Ellos contenían tres litros de agua cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to contain three litres of water when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo contiene mucha información en pocas páginas. — Right: Yo contengo mucha información en pocas páginas. — The person matters: contiene is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is contengo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Yo conteno tres litros de agua. — Right: Yo contengo tres litros de agua. — Contener is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
- Wrong: Treating contener and incluir as identical in every context. — Right: Contener means to contain, while incluir means to include. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: contener fits sentences such as Contengo mucha información en pocas páginas, while incluir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy contenido tres litros de agua. — Right: Yo he contenido tres litros de agua. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he contenido, has contenido, ha contenido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo contuve la respiración en el examen todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo contenía la respiración en el examen todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (contenía), not the preterite. The preterite (contuve) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on contener. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ mucha información en pocas páginas. (present tense) A. contengo B. contienes C. contiene D. contenemos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ tres litros de agua. (preterite) A. contuve B. contuviste C. contuvieron D. contuvo
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ la respiración en el examen. (imperfect) A. contenías B. contenían C. conteníamos D. contenía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ los nervios antes de hablar. (future) A. contendremos B. contendrás C. contendré D. contendrá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ mucha información en pocas páginas si pudiera. (conditional) A. contendría B. contendrías C. contendrían D. contengo
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ tres litros de agua. (present subjunctive) A. contengas B. contengamos C. contengo D. contenga
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ la respiración en el examen, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. contuviéramos B. contengo C. contuviera D. contuvieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ los nervios antes de hablar. (present perfect) A. han contenido B. hemos contenido C. he contenido D. has contenido
Complete the command: ¡___ mucha información en pocas páginas! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. contén B. contenga C. contengamos D. contened
Which is the gerund of contener, used with estar for the progressive? A. contenido B. contengo C. contuve D. conteniendo
Answer key
- contengo — The first-person present of contener is contengo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- contuvo — The third-person preterite of contener is contuvo, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- conteníamos — The nosotros imperfect of contener is conteníamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- contendrás — The second-person future of contener is contendrás.
- contendría — The first-person conditional of contener is contendría, the form for what would happen.
- contenga — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of contener is contenga.
- contuviera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of contener is contuviera.
- hemos contenido — The nosotros present perfect of contener is hemos contenido: hemos + contenido.
- contén — The affirmative tú imperative of contener is contén.
- conteniendo — The gerund of contener is conteniendo: estoy conteniendo. The participle contenido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does contener mean in English?
Contener means to contain. It is used in everyday situations such as Contengo mucha información en pocas páginas. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is contener regular or irregular?
Contener is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so it is not fully regular: the stem changes in the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative, while nosotros and vosotros keep the original stem. The preterite and the imperfect are regular. Check the tables above for the exact forms in each tense.
What is the difference between contener and incluir?
Contener means to contain, while incluir means to include. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use contener when you mean to contain, as in Contengo mucha información en pocas páginas, and use incluir for to include. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I contain” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo contuve tres litros de agua. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo contenía la respiración en el examen. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he contenido tres litros de agua.
How do I practise contener?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the contener examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Contener in the preterite tense — the full preterite-tense table for contener.
- Contener examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for contener.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where this verb's pattern is listed.
- Mantener conjugation — another -er verb to compare with contener.
- Retener conjugation — another -er verb to compare with contener.
- Entretener conjugation — another -er verb to compare with contener.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.