Contraer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Contraer means “to contract (a debt, a disease)”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Contraer means to contract, and it is used for contracting a debt, catching a disease and contracting a muscle. It follows the pattern of traer, with the present contraigo, the preterite contraje, the gerund contrayendo and the participle contraído. This page shows contraer in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.” — I contract a debt with the bank.
Contraer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how contraer is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use contraer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Contraigo una deuda con el banco.” — I contract a debt with the bank.
“¿Tú contraes una gripe en invierno?” — Do you contract flu in winter?
“Contrae el músculo al correr.” — He/she contracts the muscle while running.
“Contraemos un compromiso con la empresa.” — We contract a commitment with the company.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show contraer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo contraje una deuda con el banco.” — Yesterday, I contracted a debt with the bank. (preterite)
“Él contraía una gripe en invierno todos los días.” — He used to contract flu in winter every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of contraer stays the same.
“Nosotros contraeremos el músculo al correr mañana.” — We will contract the muscle while running tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has contraído un compromiso con la empresa?” — Have you contracted a commitment with the company? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Contraéis una deuda con el banco.” — You contract a debt with the bank.
“Contraen una gripe en invierno.” — They contract flu in winter.
“Contraigo el músculo al correr.” — I contract the muscle while running.
“Contrae un compromiso con la empresa.” — He/she contracts a commitment with the company.
Contraer in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how contraer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú contraes una deuda con el banco?” — Do you contract a debt with the bank?
Carlos: “Sí, yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.” — Yes, I contract a debt with the bank.
Lucía: “Nosotros contraemos una gripe en invierno.” — We contract flu in winter.
Carlos: “Y ellos contraen el músculo al correr.” — And they contract the muscle while running.
Lucía: “Vosotros contraéis un compromiso con la empresa.” — You contract a commitment with the company.
Carlos: “Sí, y él contrae una gripe en invierno.” — Yes, and he contracts flu in winter.
A short paragraph
Lucía contrae una deuda con el banco, y Carlos contrae una gripe en invierno. Nosotros contraemos el músculo al correr, y ellos contraen un compromiso con la empresa. Yo contraigo el músculo al correr, y mi padre contrae un compromiso con la empresa. Contraer is part of everyday life, because to contract (a debt, a disease) is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with contraer
These are the errors learners actually make with contraer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo contrae una deuda con el banco.” Right: “Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.” Why: The person matters: contrae is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is contraigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo contraí una gripe en invierno.” Right: “Ayer yo contraje una gripe en invierno.” Why: Contraer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is contraje, not the regular contraí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating contraer and adquirir as identical in every context.” Right: “Contraer means to contract (a debt, a disease), while adquirir means to acquire.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: contraer fits sentences such as Contraigo una deuda con el banco, while adquirir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy contraído una gripe en invierno.” Right: “Yo he contraído una gripe en invierno.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he contraído, has contraído, ha contraído. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo contraje el músculo al correr todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo contraía el músculo al correr todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (contraía), not the preterite. The preterite (contraje) is for one finished action.
Quiz: contraer in use
Ten questions on contraer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ una deuda con el banco.” (A debt with the bank.)
- (a) contraéis
- (b) contraigo
- (c) contraes
Answer: contraéis — The vosotros/as form of contraer in the present is contraéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ una gripe en invierno.” (Flu in winter.)
- (a) contraigo
- (b) contraes
- (c) contraen
Answer: contraen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of contraer in the present is contraen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ una deuda con el banco.” (A debt with the bank.)
- (a) contrajo
- (b) contraje
- (c) contrajiste
Answer: contraje — The yo form of contraer in the preterite is contraje.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ una gripe en invierno.” (Flu in winter.)
- (a) contraía
- (b) contraías
- (c) contraíamos
Answer: contraía — The él/ella/Ud. form of contraer in the imperfect is contraía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ el músculo al correr.” (The muscle while running.)
- (a) contraeré
- (b) contraerás
- (c) contraeremos
Answer: contraeremos — The nosotros/as form of contraer in the future is contraeremos.
6. What does contraer mean in English?
- (a) to attract
- (b) to contract (a debt, a disease)
- (c) to acquire
Answer: to contract (a debt, a disease) — Contraer means “to contract (a debt, a disease)”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.
- (b) Ellos contrae una deuda con el banco.
- (c) Yo contraigo una gripe en invierno ayer.
Answer: Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco. — “Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I contract a debt with the bank.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo contraen una deuda con el banco.
- (b) Yo contraje una deuda con el banco.
- (c) Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.
Answer: Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco. — “Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of contraer in the present tense?
- (a) contraes
- (b) contraemos
- (c) contraigo
Answer: contraemos — The nosotros form is contraemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo contraje una deuda con el banco.
- (b) Nosotros contraeremos una deuda con el banco mañana.
- (c) Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.
Answer: Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco. — “Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I contract (a debt' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo contraigo una deuda con el banco todos los días'.
How do you say 'I contract (a debt' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo contraje una gripe en invierno'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo contraía una gripe en invierno todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he contraído una gripe en invierno'.
What is the difference between contraer and adquirir?
Contraer means to contract (a debt, a disease), while adquirir means to acquire. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use contraer when you mean to contract (a debt, a disease), as in Contraigo una deuda con el banco.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of contraer — every tense of contraer in one place.
- Contraer in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on contraer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of contraer until they are automatic.