Contestar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
The Spanish verb contestar means to answer (the phone). You can learn its forms from the full contestar conjugation, but forms on their own are not enough: you need to see the verb in real sentences, in conversation, and in the mistakes people actually make. That is what this page is for. Below you will find example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the common mistakes, a ten-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions learners ask most. One sentence to start: Yo contesto el teléfono. — "I answer the phone."
Contestar example sentences
Everyday use — the present tense
- Yo contesto el teléfono. — "I answer the phone."
- Tú contestas a mi madre. — "you answer my mother."
- Él contesta un mensaje. — "he/she answers a message."
- Nosotros contestamos a la pregunta. — "we answer the question."
Talking about the past
- Yo contesté un mensaje. — "I answered a message."
- Él contestaba a la pregunta. — "he/she used to answer the question."
- Nosotros contestamos rápidamente. — "we answered quickly."
Plans and wishes
- Yo contestaré rápidamente. — "I will answer quickly."
- Tú contestarías en clase. — "you would answer in class."
More examples with contestar
- Contesto el teléfono rápidamente. — "I answer the phone quickly."
- Mi hermana contesta todas las preguntas en clase. — "My sister answers all the questions in class."
- Ayer contesté un mensaje de mi amigo. — "Yesterday I answered a message from my friend."
- De estudiante, contestaba a todas las preguntas en clase. — "As a student, I used to answer all the questions in class."
- Mañana contestaré a la pregunta del profesor. — "Tomorrow I will answer the teacher's question."
- Si tuviera el teléfono, contestaría el mensaje ahora mismo. — "If I had the phone, I would answer the message right now."
Contestar in conversation
Two short dialogues using contestar naturally. Read them out loud: hearing the verb in a question and an answer is the fastest way to make the forms stick.
Dialogue 1: making plans
María: ¿Tú contestas el teléfono? Carlos: Sí, yo contesto el teléfono. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Contesta a mi madre? Carlos: Sí, él contesta a mi madre todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú contestarás un mensaje? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo contestaré un mensaje.
In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: contestas for tú, contesto for yo, contesta for él. The future forms at the end (contestarás, contestaré) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.
Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday
Ana: ¿Tú contestas a la pregunta? Luis: Sí, yo contesto a la pregunta. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Contesta rápidamente? Luis: Sí, él contesta rápidamente todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú contestaste a la pregunta? Luis: Sí, ayer yo contesté a la pregunta.
Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: contesté for yo, contestaste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.
Common mistakes with contestar in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.
1. Yo contesta el teléfono.
Wrong: Yo contesta el teléfono.
Right: Yo contesto el teléfono.
The yo form ends in -o: contesto. Contesta is the él/ella form.
2. Contesto mi madre.
Wrong: Contesto mi madre.
Right: Contesto a mi madre.
When the object is a person, contestar needs the preposition a: contesto a mi madre. Contesto mi madre is wrong.
3. Confusing contestar with preguntar
Contestar is answering; preguntar is asking. You preguntas and the other person contesta. They are the two halves of a conversation.
4. Using the present for a finished past action
Wrong: Ayer yo contesto el teléfono.
Right: Ayer yo contesté el teléfono.
Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: contesté. The present describes what you do now or usually.
Quiz: contestar in use
Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.
- Tú ___ el teléfono (present)
- a) contestas
- b) contesto
- c) contesta
- d) contestamos
- Nosotros ___ a mi madre (preterite)
- a) contesté
- b) contestaste
- c) contestó
- d) contestamos
- Ellos ___ un mensaje (imperfect)
- a) contestabas
- b) contestaba
- c) contestaban
- d) contestaba
- Tú ___ a la pregunta (future)
- a) contestaremos
- b) contestarás
- c) contestaré
- d) contestará
- Nosotros ___ rápidamente (conditional)
- a) contestaríamos
- b) contestaría
- c) contestarías
- d) contestaría
- Ellos ___ en clase (present)
- a) contesto
- b) contestas
- c) contesta
- d) contestan
- Tú ___ el teléfono (preterite)
- a) contestó
- b) contestamos
- c) contestaste
- d) contesté
- Nosotros ___ a mi madre (imperfect)
- a) contestaba
- b) contestábamos
- c) contestaba
- d) contestabas
- Ellos ___ un mensaje (future)
- a) contestarán
- b) contestaré
- c) contestarás
- d) contestará
- Tú ___ a la pregunta (conditional)
- a) contestaría
- b) contestaría
- c) contestaríamos
- d) contestarías
Answers
- a) contestas — the present form, for tú.
- d) contestamos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
- c) contestaban — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- b) contestarás — the future form, for tú.
- a) contestaríamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
- d) contestan — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- c) contestaste — the preterite form, for tú.
- b) contestábamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
- a) contestarán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- d) contestarías — the conditional form, for tú.
Frequently asked questions about contestar
Is contestar regular?
Yes, contestar is a regular -ar verb: contesto, contestas, contesta, contestamos, contestáis, contestan.
What is the difference between contestar and responder?
They are near synonyms. Contestar is more common for answering the phone or replying to a person; responder is more common for answering a question. In most contexts you can use either.
What are the gerund and the past participle of contestar?
The gerund is contestando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy contestando), and the past participle is contestado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he contestado).
Is contestar regular?
Yes, it is a regular -ar verb. The present is contesto, contestas, contesta, contestamos, contestáis, contestan, and the full tables are on the contestar conjugation page.
How to remember contestar
Four small habits will fix contestar in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: contesto, contestas, contesta, contestamos, contestáis, contestan. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (contesto), one about yesterday with the preterite (contesté), and one about tomorrow with the future (contestaré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from preguntar: Contestar is answering; preguntar is asking. You preguntas and the other person contesta. They are the two halves of a conversation. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund contestando and the past participle contestado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy contestando) and the present perfect (he contestado), which covers most everyday conversation.
Related pages
- Contestar conjugation: full tables — every tense of contestar on one page.
- Contestar Present tense — the deep dive on contestar in the present.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Conjugation practice — fill-in-the-blank drills with instant feedback.