Contraer in the Preterite Tense
Contraer means “to contract (a debt, a disease)”, and this page covers exactly one thing: contraer 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 contraer, 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 contraer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo contraje una deuda con el banco.” — Yesterday, I contracted a debt with the bank. Everything on this page uses the forms of contraer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Contraer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | contraje |
| tú | contrajiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | contrajo |
| nosotros/as | contrajimos |
| vosotros/as | contrajisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contrajeron |
Gerund: contrayendo · Past participle: contraído
The gerund is contrayendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy contrayendo” means the action of contraer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is contraído, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he contraído” 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 contraer is used.
How the preterite of contraer is formed
Contraer is regular in the preterite tense. Take the stem contra and add the preterite endings for -er verbs: -je, -jiste, -jo, -jimos, -jisteis, -jeron, giving contraje, contrajiste, contrajo, contrajimos, contrajisteis, contrajeron. Watch the accents: the yo form is contraje and the él/ella/Ud. form is contrajo.
The irregularity of contraer is in its past participle, contraído, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he contraído, has contraído, ha contraído.
When to use the preterite of contraer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use contraer 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 contraje una deuda con el banco.” — Yesterday, I contracted a debt with the bank.
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 contrajimos una gripe en invierno.” — We contracted flu in winter.
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 contrajo el músculo al correr ayer.” — He contracted the muscle while running yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos contrajeron un compromiso con la empresa de repente.” — They contracted a commitment with the company 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 contrajiste una deuda con el banco la semana pasada.” — You contracted a debt with the bank 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 contraje una deuda con el banco.” — Yesterday, I contracted a debt with the bank.
Imperfect: “Yo contraía una deuda con el banco cada día.” — I used to contract a debt with the bank 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 contrajo una gripe en invierno.” — Last night, he contracted flu in winter.
Imperfect: “Él contraía una gripe en invierno todos los días.” — He used to contract flu in winter 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 contrajimos el músculo al correr ayer.” — We contracted the muscle while running yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros contraíamos el músculo al correr cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to contract the muscle while running 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: contraer 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.
“Contraje una deuda con el banco.” — I contracted a debt with the bank.
“Contrajiste una gripe en invierno.” — You contracted flu in winter.
“Contrajo el músculo al correr.” — He/she contracted the muscle while running.
“Contrajimos un compromiso con la empresa.” — We contracted a commitment with the company.
“Contrajisteis una deuda con el banco.” — You contracted a debt with the bank.
“Contrajeron una gripe en invierno.” — They contracted flu in winter.
“Contraje el músculo al correr.” — I contracted the muscle while running.
“Contrajo un compromiso con la empresa.” — He/she contracted a commitment with the company.
Common mistakes with contraer 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 contrajo una deuda con el banco.” Right: “Ellos contrajeron una deuda con el banco.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form contrajeron. The singular contrajo belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
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.
Wrong: “Nosotros contrajiste el músculo al correr.” Right: “Nosotros contrajimos el músculo al correr.” Why: Nosotros needs contrajimos. The tú form contrajiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos contraje un compromiso con la empresa.” Right: “Ellos contrajeron un compromiso con la empresa.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form contrajeron, not the yo form contraje.
Quiz: contraer 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 ______ una deuda con el banco.” (A debt with the bank.)
- (a) contraje
- (b) contrajiste
- (c) contrajo
Answer: contraje — The yo form of contraer in the preterite is contraje. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ una gripe en invierno?” (Flu in winter.)
- (a) contraje
- (b) contrajo
- (c) contrajiste
Answer: contrajiste — The tú form of contraer in the preterite is contrajiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el músculo al correr.” (The muscle while running.)
- (a) contrajiste
- (b) contrajo
- (c) contraje
Answer: contrajo — The él/ella/Ud. form of contraer in the preterite is contrajo. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ un compromiso con la empresa.” (A commitment with the company.)
- (a) contrajimos
- (b) contraje
- (c) contrajiste
Answer: contrajimos — The nosotros/as form of contraer in the preterite is contrajimos. 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 contraer in the preterite?
- (a) contraje
- (b) contrajiste
- (c) contrajisteis
Answer: contrajisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes contrajisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros contrajisteis una deuda con el banco.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ una gripe en invierno.” (Flu in winter.)
- (a) contrajiste
- (b) contrajeron
- (c) contraje
Answer: contrajeron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of contraer in the preterite is contrajeron. 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 contraer in the preterite?
- (a) contraje
- (b) contrajiste
- (c) contrajo
Answer: contraje — The yo form is contraje. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo contraía una deuda con el banco cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo contraeré una deuda con el banco.
- (c) Ayer, yo contraje una deuda con el banco.
Answer: Ayer, yo contraje una deuda con el banco. — “Ayer, yo contraje una deuda con el banco.” 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 contraer regular in the preterite?
No. Contraer has an irregular preterite: contraje, contrajiste, contrajo, contrajimos, contrajisteis, contrajeron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of contraer?
The past participle is contraído: 'He contraído' means 'I have contracted'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is contrayendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for contraer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo contraje una deuda con el banco. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo contraía una deuda con el banco cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of contraer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo contraje, tú contrajiste, él/ella/Ud. contrajo, nosotros/as contrajimos, vosotros/as contrajisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. contrajeron. Then write three of your own sentences with contraer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of contraer — every tense of contraer in one place.
- Contraer examples and quiz — more sentences with contraer 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 contraer and other verbs.