The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Contar is used to give orders or instructions related to counting or telling something, for example: Cuenta las monedas. (Count the coins.)

This verb follows the o to ue stem-changing pattern in the imperative mood, where the o in the stem changes to ue in certain conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Contar (to count) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Contar generally means “to count” or “to tell”, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To count: For example, Conta las monedas (Count the coins).

To tell a story: For example, Cuéntanos un chiste (Tell us a joke).

To rely on someone (colloquial): For example, Cuenta conmigo (Count on me).

To settle a score (rude): For example, ¡Cuenta tus días! (Your days are numbered!)

Examples

Examples of Contar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Cuenta hasta diez para calmarte! (Take a deep breath and count to ten to calm down!)

Antes de salir de viaje, contemos todo el equipaje para no olvidar nada. (Before leaving for the trip, let’s count all the luggage so we don’t forget anything.)

Niños, contad cuántas manzanas hay en la canasta. (Kids, count how many apples are in the basket.)

Para participar en el sorteo, cuenten cuántas veces aparece el logo en la página web. (To enter the raffle, count how many times the logo appears on the website.)

Antes de firmar el contrato, cuenta bien las cláusulas para entender tus obligaciones. (Before signing the contract, carefully count the clauses to understand your obligations.)

Mamá, contemos juntas cuántas galletas quedan en la lata. (Mom, let’s count together how many cookies are left in the tin.)

En la clase de matemáticas, contad de cinco en cinco hasta llegar a cien. (In math class, count by fives until you reach one hundred.)

Para ahorrar dinero, cuenta cada centavo que gastas. (To save money, count every penny you spend.)

Antes de enviar el informe, cuenten las palabras para asegurarse de que cumple con el límite. (Before sending the report, count the words to make sure it meets the limit.)

En el gimnasio, cuenta tus repeticiones para llevar un registro de tu progreso. (At the gym, count your reps to keep track of your progress.)

Cuando estés aburrido, cuenta cuántas formas diferentes puedes ver en las nubes. (When you’re bored, count how many different shapes you can see in the clouds.)

En la reunión familiar, contemos cuántos primos y tíos están presentes. (At the family gathering, let’s count how many cousins and uncles are present.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Contar (to count) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.