The preterite of contestar is used to express a specific instance of answering in the past. For example, you might say “I answered the email this morning,” indicating a completed response at a particular moment.

This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. Its regular structure makes it easy to learn and use.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Contestar (to answer) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of contestar indicates a completed action of answering or responding in the past.

To answer: Describes giving a response, for example Contesté el teléfono inmediatamente (I answered the phone immediately) or No contestó mis mensajes (He/she didn’t answer my messages).

To reply/respond: Used for formal responses, for example Contestó a todas las preguntas correctamente (He/she answered all the questions correctly).

Examples

Examples of Contestar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Contesté todas las preguntas del examen. (I answered all the exam questions.)

Contestaste el teléfono rápidamente. (You answered the phone quickly.)

La secretaria contestó los correos urgentes. (The secretary answered the urgent emails.)

Contestamos la encuesta del restaurante. (We answered the restaurant survey.)

Los estudiantes contestaron correctamente. (The students answered correctly.)

Contesté el mensaje de texto tarde. (I answered the text message late.)

Contestaste la carta de tu amigo. (You answered your friend’s letter.)

El político contestó las preguntas de la prensa. (The politician answered the press questions.)

Contestamos la llamada de emergencia. (We answered the emergency call.)

Los participantes contestaron el cuestionario. (The participants answered the questionnaire.)

Contesté la puerta cuando tocaron. (I answered the door when they knocked.)

Contestaste amablemente a todos. (You answered everyone kindly.)

El experto contestó las dudas del público. (The expert answered the public’s doubts.)

Contestamos al saludo con una sonrisa. (We answered the greeting with a smile.)

Los candidatos contestaron el debate. (The candidates answered in the debate.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Contestar (to answer) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.