The Conditional Mood of contener is used to express hypothetical situations or possibilities, for example: Si tuvieras más dinero, contendrías tus gastos. (If you had more money, you would contain your expenses.)

Contener is a regular verb in Spanish, meaning its conjugations in the Conditional follow the same pattern as other verbs with infinitives ending in -er.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Contener (to contain) in the Conditional Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

The conditional mood of contener is used to express hypothetical or potential situations, often with an implied condition.

To contain or hold: For example, Esta caja contendría todas las decoraciones navideñas. (This box would contain all the Christmas decorations.)

To restrain or control: For example, Los guardias de seguridad contendrían a la multitud enojada. (The security guards would restrain the angry crowd.)

To include or comprise (figuratively): For example, El informe contendría todos los detalles relevantes. (The report would contain all the relevant details.)

To stop or prevent (colloquial): For example, ¿Qué harías si tu amigo te contendría de hacer algo estúpido? (What would you do if your friend stopped you from doing something stupid?)

Examples

Examples of Contener in the Conditional Mood

Si contendría mi enojo, la discusión no se habría salido de control. (If I had contained my anger, the argument wouldn’t have gotten out of hand.)

Ella contendría las lágrimas hasta llegar a casa para no preocupar a sus compañeros de trabajo. (She would hold back her tears until she got home so as not to worry her coworkers.)

El equipo de fútbol contendría al delantero estrella del equipo contrario para tener una oportunidad de ganar. (The soccer team would contain the opposing team’s star striker to have a chance of winning.)

Aunque el paquete contendría muchos regalos, ella esperaba con ansias abrirlo en Navidad. (Even though the package would contain many gifts, she looked forward to opening it on Christmas.)

Los padres contendrían su emoción hasta que su hijo recibiera su diploma universitario. (The parents would contain their emotion until their son received his university degree.)

Tú contendrías la respiración al sumergirte en las aguas cristalinas del Caribe. (You would hold your breath as you submerged yourself in the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean.)

El manual contendría instrucciones detalladas sobre cómo operar la máquina de manera segura. (The manual would contain detailed instructions on how to operate the machine safely.)

Ustedes contendrían sus ganas de reír en voz alta durante la obra de teatro. (You all would contain your urge to laugh out loud during the play.)

La caja fuerte contendría los documentos más valiosos de la empresa. (The safe would contain the company’s most valuable documents.)

Nosotros contendríamos nuestra emoción hasta que el veredicto fuera anunciado en la corte. (We would contain our emotion until the verdict was announced in court.)

Ellos contendrían su entusiasmo hasta que el proyecto fuera aprobado oficialmente. (They would contain their enthusiasm until the project was officially approved.)

Vosotros contendríais la respiración al ver las impresionantes vistas desde la cima de la montaña. (You would hold your breath when seeing the impressive views from the top of the mountain.)

La botella contendría un mensaje secreto dentro de ella. (The bottle would contain a secret message inside it.)

Tú contendrías tus ganas de comer hasta la cena por respeto a tus compañeros que estaban ayunando. (You would contain your urge to eat until dinner out of respect for your companions who were fasting.)

Ellas contendrían sus lágrimas de felicidad en la boda de su mejor amiga. (They would hold back tears of joy at their best friend’s wedding.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Contener (to contain) in the Conditional Mood tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Conditional mood is also known as the Simple Conditional, Conditional Simple, Would Tense, or Future of the Past in English, and as Condicional Simple, Pospretérito, Potencial Simple, or Condicional de Indicativo in Spanish.