Contar preterite conjugation
Contar in the preterite: conté, contaste, contó, contamos, contasteis, contaron.
- to count; to tell (a story); to count on
- stem-changing (o→ue)
- Participle: contado
- Gerund: contando
Preterite pretérito
| yo | conté |
|---|---|
| tú | contaste |
| él/ella/usted | contó |
| nosotros | contamos |
| vosotros | contasteis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | contaron |
How to use contar in the preterite
The preterite of contar is regular, with no stem change: conté, contaste, contó, contamos, contaron. Use it to report what someone told you ("Me contó que...") and for counting at a specific time. "¿Quién te contó?" asks who told you something. Remember that contamos is the same in present and preterite, so context shows the past. The accent on conté and contó is essential.
Examples
¿Quién te contó lo del ascenso?
Who told you about the promotion?
Les conté a mis papás que me cambio de trabajo.
I told my parents I'm changing jobs.
Contaron los votos dos veces.
They counted the votes twice.
Quick check: contar in the preterite
More contar tenses
- All contar tenses
- Contar present
- Contar imperfect
- Contar future
- Contar conditional
- Contar present subjunctive
- Contar affirmative commands
Other verbs in the preterite
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