The Present Tense of Contar is used to describe actions happening now or facts that are currently true. For example, Cuento las ovejas para dormir. (I count sheep to fall asleep.)

Contar is a stem-changing verb, meaning the vowel in the stem changes in certain conjugations. The o changes to ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Contar (to count/tell) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

Contar generally means “to count” or “to tell”, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To count: For example, Yo cuento las ovejas para dormir. (I count sheep to fall asleep.)

To tell or narrate: For example, Ella nos cuenta un cuento antes de dormir. (She tells us a story before bedtime.)

To rely on or depend on: For example, Cuento contigo para ayudarme. (I’m counting on you to help me.)

To include or consider: For example, No cuentes las calorías, ¡come lo que quieras! (Don’t count the calories, eat whatever you want!)

Slang: To reveal or disclose a secret: For example, No le cuentes a nadie lo que viste. (Don’t tell anyone what you saw.)

Examples

Examples of Contar in the Present Tense

Yo cuento las ovejas para dormir mejor. (I count sheep to sleep better.)

Tú cuentas muy bien los chistes. (You tell jokes very well.)

Ella cuenta con el apoyo de su familia. (She counts on the support of her family.)

Nosotros contamos las calorías para mantenernos en forma. (We count calories to stay in shape.)

Ellos cuentan con un buen seguro médico. (They have good health insurance.)

En esta oficina, contamos con personal bilingüe. (In this office, we have bilingual staff.)

Mi amigo cuenta con mucha paciencia para enseñar. (My friend has a lot of patience for teaching.)

Ustedes cuentan las horas para las vacaciones, ¿verdad? (You’re counting down the hours until vacation, right?)

Ella cuenta cada centavo para ahorrar. (She counts every penny to save.)

Nosotros contamos los días para el gran evento. (We’re counting down the days to the big event.)

Tú cuentas con el cariño de tus amigos. (You have the affection of your friends.)

Ellos cuentan chistes muy divertidos en la fiesta. (They tell very funny jokes at the party.)

Yo cuento con tu apoyo para el proyecto. (I’m counting on your support for the project.)

Ustedes cuentan las monedas para ahorrar. (You count coins to save.)

Ella cuenta historias fascinantes de sus viajes. (She tells fascinating stories from her travels.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Contar (to count/tell) in the Present Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.