Contestar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb contestar means to answer (the phone), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Contestar means to answer, and it is the verb for answering the phone, answering a question and answering a message. It is a close synonym of responder, but contestar is the natural choice for the telephone, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, contestar 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 contesto el teléfono enseguida, and in the preterite you say contesté el mensaje de su madre. 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: contestar
  • English: to answer (the phone)
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: contestando
  • Past participle: contestado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + contestado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for contestar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Contestar is fully regular: contesté, contestaba, contestaré. Use it for phones, questions and messages.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for contestar. 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 contesto
tú contestas
él/ella/Ud. contesta
nosotros/as contestamos
vosotros/as contestáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. contestan

Preterite

Person Form
yo contesté
tú contestaste
él/ella/Ud. contestó
nosotros/as contestamos
vosotros/as contestasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. contestaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo contestaba
tú contestabas
él/ella/Ud. contestaba
nosotros/as contestábamos
vosotros/as contestabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. contestaban

Future

Person Form
yo contestaré
tú contestarás
él/ella/Ud. contestará
nosotros/as contestaremos
vosotros/as contestaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. contestarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo contestaría
tú contestarías
él/ella/Ud. contestaría
nosotros/as contestaríamos
vosotros/as contestaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. contestarían

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo conteste
tú contestes
él/ella/Ud. conteste
nosotros/as contestemos
vosotros/as contestéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. contesten

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo contestara
tú contestaras
él/ella/Ud. contestara
nosotros/as contestáramos
vosotros/as contestarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. contestaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú contesta
él/ella/Ud. conteste
nosotros/as contestemos
vosotros/as contestad
ellos/ellas/Uds. contesten

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú contestes
él/ella/Ud. conteste
nosotros/as contestemos
vosotros/as contestéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. contesten

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund contestando with estar for the progressive: estoy contestando
Past participle contestado with haber for the perfect tenses: he contestado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Contesto el teléfono enseguida. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, contesté la pregunta del profesor. 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 contestar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, contestaba el mensaje de su madre. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, contestaré en clase sin levantar la mano. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Contestaría el teléfono enseguida 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 contestar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he contestado la pregunta del profesor. 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 contestar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había contestado el mensaje de su madre 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 contestar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré contestado en clase sin levantar la mano. 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 contestar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría contestado el teléfono enseguida 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él conteste la pregunta del profesor. 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él contestara el mensaje de su madre, 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Contesta en clase sin levantar la mano! 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. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For contestar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No contestes el teléfono enseguida. 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 contestar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Contesto el teléfono enseguida. — I answer the phone straight away.
  2. Contesta la pregunta del profesor. — He/she answers the teacher's question.
  3. Ayer, contesté el mensaje de su madre. — Yesterday, I answered his mother's message.
  4. Antes, nosotros contestábamos en clase sin levantar la mano. — Before, we used to answer in class without raising my hand.
  5. Mañana, tú contestarás el teléfono enseguida. — Tomorrow, you will answer the phone straight away.
  6. Yo contestaría la pregunta del profesor si tuviera más tiempo. — I would answer the teacher's question if I had more time.
  7. Él ha contestado el mensaje de su madre. — He has answered his mother's message.
  8. Espero que él conteste en clase sin levantar la mano. — I hope he answers in class without raising my hand.
  9. Yo ya había contestado el teléfono enseguida antes de salir. — I had already answered the phone straight away before leaving.
  10. Ellos contestaban la pregunta del profesor cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to answer the teacher's question when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo contesta el teléfono enseguida. — Right: Yo contesto el teléfono enseguida. — The person matters: contesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is contesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo contesto la pregunta del profesor. — Right: Ayer yo contesté la pregunta del profesor. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: contesto is happening now, while contesté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating contestar and responder as identical in every context. — Right: Contestar means to answer (the phone), while responder means to answer, the general synonym. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: contestar fits sentences such as Contesto el teléfono enseguida, while responder belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy contestado la pregunta del profesor. — Right: Yo he contestado la pregunta del profesor. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he contestado, has contestado, ha contestado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo contesté el mensaje de su madre todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo contestaba el mensaje de su madre todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (contestaba), not the preterite. The preterite (contesté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el teléfono enseguida. (present tense) A. contesto B. contestas C. contesta D. contestamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la pregunta del profesor. (preterite) A. contesté B. contestaste C. contestaron D. contestó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el mensaje de su madre. (imperfect) A. contestabas B. contestaban C. contestábamos D. contestaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ en clase sin levantar la mano. (future) A. contestaremos B. contestarás C. contestaré D. contestará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el teléfono enseguida si pudiera. (conditional) A. contestaría B. contestarías C. contestarían D. contesto

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la pregunta del profesor. (present subjunctive) A. contestes B. contestemos C. contesto D. conteste

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el mensaje de su madre, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. contestáramos B. contesto C. contestara D. contestaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ en clase sin levantar la mano. (present perfect) A. han contestado B. hemos contestado C. he contestado D. has contestado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ el teléfono enseguida! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. contesta B. conteste C. contestemos D. contestad

  10. Which is the gerund of contestar, used with estar for the progressive? A. contestado B. contesto C. contesté D. contestando

Answer key

  1. contesto — The first-person present of contestar is contesto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. contestó — The third-person preterite of contestar is contestó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. contestábamos — The nosotros imperfect of contestar is contestábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. contestarás — The second-person future of contestar is contestarás.
  5. contestaría — The first-person conditional of contestar is contestaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. conteste — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of contestar is conteste.
  7. contestara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of contestar is contestara.
  8. hemos contestado — The nosotros present perfect of contestar is hemos contestado: hemos + contestado.
  9. contesta — The affirmative tú imperative of contestar is contesta.
  10. contestando — The gerund of contestar is contestando: estoy contestando. The participle contestado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does contestar mean in English?

Contestar means to answer (the phone). It is used in everyday situations such as Contesto el teléfono enseguida. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is contestar regular or irregular?

Contestar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including contesto in the present and contesté in the preterite.

What is the difference between contestar and responder?

Contestar means to answer (the phone), while responder means to answer, the general synonym. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use contestar when you mean to answer (the phone), as in Contesto el teléfono enseguida, and use responder for to answer, the general synonym. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I answer (the phone)” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo contesté la pregunta del profesor. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo contestaba el mensaje de su madre. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he contestado la pregunta del profesor.

How do I practise contestar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the contestar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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