Is Contar A Regular Verb In Spanish? | Conjugate It Right

Yes, it follows regular -ar endings, but it flips o→ue in the stem in several present-tense style forms.

If you’ve ever typed contar into a conjugator and felt your brain snag on cuento, you’re not alone. The good news: most of what you already know about -ar verbs still works. The tricky part is narrow and predictable, so once you spot it, you’ll stop second-guessing yourself.

This article clears up what “regular” means for Spanish verbs, where contar behaves like a standard -ar verb, and where it changes shape. You’ll also get ready-to-use lines so you can put the verb to work right away.

What People Mean By Regular And Irregular

In Spanish, “regular” usually means the verb keeps the standard endings for its group (-ar, -er, -ir) and doesn’t do surprise changes to the stem in the common patterns. A regular -ar verb drops -ar and adds endings like -o, -as, -a in the present: hablo, hablas, habla.

“Irregular” can mean a few things. Some verbs change endings in a special way (ser, ir). Others keep endings regular but shift the stem vowel in certain forms. That second type is where contar lives.

Why This Feels Confusing

Many learners hear “stem-changing verb” and file it as “irregular,” full stop. Then they hear a teacher say contar is “regular” because it still takes -ar endings. Both statements are trying to point at the same truth from different angles.

So here’s a clean way to think about it: contar is an -ar verb with regular endings, and it also has a common stem change pattern in specific tenses and persons.

Is Contar A Regular Verb In Spanish? What Makes It Regular

Contar belongs to the first conjugation (-ar). In lots of tenses, you build it exactly like a standard -ar verb: drop -ar, keep the stem cont-, add the usual endings. No drama.

If you want an official place to see how Spanish sets up model conjugations, the Real Academia Española lays out regular verb models (like amar) and then maps other verbs against those patterns. That’s the logic behind their conjugation tables. RAE “Modelos de conjugación verbal” shows the regular models and the grouped patterns.

Regular Endings You Can Trust

When contar is acting fully regular, you’ll see forms like these:

• Pretérito imperfecto:contaba, contabas, contábamos
• Pretérito perfecto simple:conté, contaste, contó, contamos
• Futuro simple:contaré, contarás, contará
• Condicional simple:contaría, contarías, contaríamos

Notice what’s happening: the stem stays cont- (or the full infinitive contar- in future/conditional), and the endings are the standard ones for -ar verbs.

Where Contar Changes Shape

The place that trips people up is the stem vowel. In several present-tense style forms, the o in cont- shifts to ue. That gives you cuento, cuentas, cuenta, cuentan.

This pattern is so common that grammar references group verbs by vowel alternation types. The RAE lists verbs with o/ue alternation and points out that many first-conjugation verbs follow the contar model. RAE “Verbos con alternancia vocálica” places contar in that o/ue set.

The “Boot” Shortcut

A simple mental shortcut: in the present indicative, the stem change shows up in every person exceptnosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras. Many teachers draw a boot shape around the forms that change.

• Yo:cuento
• Tú:cuentas
• Él/ella/usted:cuenta
• Nosotros/nosotras:contamos
• Vosotros/vosotras:contáis
• Ellos/ellas/ustedes:cuentan

You still add regular endings. You just change the stem vowel in the forms that take the stress on that syllable.

Stem Change In The Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive starts from the yo present form. Since yo is cuento, the subjunctive uses the cuent- stem in the changing forms:

• que yo cuente
• que tú cuentes
• que él/ella/usted cuente
• que nosotros/nosotras contemos
• que vosotros/vosotras contéis
• que ellos/ellas/ustedes cuenten

Commands People Actually Use

For commands, you’ll meet the same pattern in the forms tied to the present:

• Tú (affirmative):cuenta (Tell it. / Count it.)
• Usted:cuente
• Ustedes:cuenten
• Nosotros:contemos (no stem change)

If you want a fast official definition of what the verb means in Spanish usage, the RAE dictionary entry is a solid reference point. RAE DLE entry for “contar” lists the core senses like “numerar” and “referir.”

Contar Regular Verb Status In Spanish Grammar With Real Patterns

So, is it “regular”? In a practical classroom sense: the endings behave like a regular -ar verb in every tense, and the main twist is a predictable stem change in present-style forms. If you treat it like “regular endings + o/ue stem change,” you’ll get it right far more often than trying to memorize it as a pile of one-off forms.

Let’s pin down exactly where you should expect the stem change and where you can relax.

Tense Or Mood	What Stays Regular	Forms To Watch
Present Indicative	-ar endings are standard	o→ue in all but nosotros/vosotros
Present Subjunctive	Subjunctive endings are standard	cuent- in all but nosotros/vosotros
Imperative (Commands)	Command endings follow standard patterns	cuenta, cuente, cuenten use cuent-
Pretérito Perfecto Simple	Regular -ar preterite endings	No stem change: conté, contaste, contó
Pretérito Imperfecto	Regular -aba endings	No stem change: contaba, contábamos
Future	Add endings to infinitive	No stem change: contaré, contará
Conditional	Add endings to infinitive	No stem change: contaría, contarían
Present Perfect	haber + participle pattern is standard	Participle is regular: contado
Gerund	-ando form is standard	Regular: contando

Two Meanings That Change Your Translation

Contar isn’t just one verb in daily use. It can mean “to count,” and it can mean “to tell” as in telling a story or telling someone a fact. Both meanings share the same conjugations, so the grammar work stays the same. The difference shows up in what comes after the verb.

Contar Meaning To Count

When it means “to count,” it often takes a direct object you can count: numbers, days, money, votes, people, pages. You’ll also see phrases like:

• contar hasta diez (count to ten)
• contar los días (count the days)
• contar monedas (count coins)

Contar Meaning To Tell

When it means “to tell,” it usually points to information, a story, or something that happened. Common patterns:

• contar algo (tell something)
• contarle algo a alguien (tell someone something)
• contar que… (say that…)

Once you lock in those patterns, you’ll stop translating cuento as “I count” every time. Context does the work.

Spotting The Stem Change Without Memorizing Lists

Here’s the trick that saves time: stem changes tend to show up when the stress lands on the stem. In present indicative, the stress in cuento, cuentas, cuenta, cuentan lands right on that syllable, so the vowel shifts.

In contamos and contáis, the stress lands later, on the ending. The stem vowel stays plain o. That’s why those two forms feel like a little island of calm.

A Mini Check You Can Do While Writing

• If it’s present indicative and not nosotros/vosotros, expect ue.
• If it’s preterite, imperfect, future, or conditional, stick with cont-.
• If it’s present subjunctive, mirror the “boot” pattern again: cuent- except nosotros/vosotros.

That’s it. No wall of flashcards needed.

Practice Lines You Can Steal

Use these as plug-and-play lines. Swap the objects, names, and times to fit what you want to say.

Use	Spanish Line	Natural English
Count	Cuento las entradas antes de salir.	I count the tickets before I leave.
Count	Contamos los días hasta el viaje.	We count the days until the trip.
Tell	Te cuento lo que pasó en la reunión.	I’ll tell you what happened in the meeting.
Tell	Ella cuenta historias con detalle.	She tells stories with detail.
Ask	¿Me cuentas la verdad?	Will you tell me the truth?
Subjunctive	Quiero que me cuentes todo hoy.	I want you to tell me everything today.
Command	Cuenta hasta diez y respira.	Count to ten and breathe.
Past	Me contó el plan ayer por la noche.	He told me the plan last night.

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

Mistake 1: Writing “Conto” In Spanish

English speakers often try to build the present yo form by pure logic: stem cont- + -o = conto. Spanish doesn’t use that form for this verb. It’s cuento.

Fix: If it’s “I count” or “I tell” in the present, default to cuento. Your hand will start typing it on autopilot after a few days of use.

Mistake 2: Over-Stem-Changing In The Past

People learn cuento and then start pushing cuent- into places it doesn’t belong: cuenté, cuentaba. Those aren’t standard forms.

Fix: Past narration tenses like preterite and imperfect stick with cont-: conté, contaba.

Mistake 3: Forgetting Nosotros Stays Plain

In present indicative and present subjunctive, the nosotros form keeps o: contamos, contemos. That’s a relief, and it’s also easy to overlook.

Fix: When you see “we” in present-style forms, pause for half a beat and ask: “Is this nosotros?” If yes, keep o.

A Simple Way To Build Any Form You Need

If you want a repeatable method, use this three-step build:

1. Pick the tense (present, preterite, imperfect, future, subjunctive).
2. Pick the person (yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ellas/ustedes).
3. Decide stem: use cuent- in the boot forms for present indicative and present subjunctive; use cont- everywhere else; use contar- for future and conditional.

Once you follow that, you won’t be guessing. You’ll be building.

Final Take On Contar

Contar earns the “regular” label in a useful way: it takes standard -ar endings across tenses. The one twist is the o→ue stem change in present indicative, present subjunctive, and related command forms. Learn the boot pattern, keep nosotros/vosotros plain, and you’re set.