Contestar means to answer or reply to a question, call, or communication. It is used when responding to inquiries or messages.
Master Spanish vocabulary with our scientifically-proven spaced repetition app
El Presente - used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | contesto | Yo contesto tus preguntas rápidamente. I answer your questions quickly. | |
| Tú | respondes | Tú respondes muy bien en clase. You respond very well in class. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | responde | Ella responde con claridad. She responds clearly. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestamos | Nosotros contestamos en equipo. We answer as a team. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestáis | Vosotros contestáis muy rápido. You all answer very quickly. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | responden | Ellos responden a todas las preguntas. They answer all the questions. |
El Pretérito Indefinido - used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | contesté | Ayer contesté todas las preguntas. Yesterday I answered all the questions. | |
| Tú | contestaste | Tú contestaste muy rápido. You answered very quickly. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | contestó | Ella contestó con amabilidad. She answered politely. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestamos | Nosotros contestamos en la reunión. We answered in the meeting. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestasteis | Vosotros contestasteis correctamente. You all answered correctly. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contestaron | Ellos contestaron la carta ayer. They answered the letter yesterday. |
El Pretérito Imperfecto - used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestaba | Yo contestaba siempre con paciencia. I used to answer always patiently. | |
| Tú | contestabas | Tú contestabas rápidamente en clase. You used to answer quickly in class. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | contestaba | Ella contestaba cuando le llamaban. She used to answer when they called her. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestábamos | Nosotros contestábamos en equipo. We used to answer as a team. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestabais | Vosotros contestabais en el chat. You all used to answer in the chat. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contestaban | Ellos contestaban todas las preguntas. They used to answer all the questions. |
El Presente Progresivo - used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy contestando | Estoy contestando tu llamada ahora. I am answering your call now. | |
| Tú | estás contestando | Estás contestando muy rápido. You are answering very quickly. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | está contestando | Ella está contestando el correo. She is answering the email. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | estamos contestando | Estamos contestando las preguntas. We are answering the questions. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | estáis contestando | Vosotros estáis contestando en la oficina. You all are answering in the office. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | están contestando | Ellos están contestando en este momento. They are answering at this moment. |
El Futuro Próximo - used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a contestar | Voy a contestar tu llamada ahora. I am going to answer your call now. | |
| Tú | vas a contestar | ¿Vas a contestar el correo más tarde? Are you going to answer the email later? | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | va a contestar | Ella va a contestar en unos minutos. She is going to answer in a few minutes. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | vamos a contestar | Vamos a contestar todas las preguntas. We are going to answer all the questions. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | vais a contestar | ¿Vais a contestar el mensaje ahora? Are you going to answer the message now? | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | van a contestar | Ellos van a contestar después de la reunión. They are going to answer after the meeting. |
El Futuro Simple - used to talk about something that will happen in the future
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestaré | Yo contestaré tu llamada mañana. I will answer your call tomorrow. | |
| Tú | contestarás | Tú contestarás la pregunta pronto. You will answer the question soon. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | contestará | Ella contestará el correo más tarde. She will reply to the email later. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestaremos | Nosotros contestaremos en breve. We will respond shortly. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestaréis | Vosotros contestaréis la encuesta mañana. You all will answer the survey tomorrow. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contestarán | Ellos contestarán las preguntas al final. They will answer the questions at the end. |
El Condicional Simple - used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestaría | Yo contestaría si pudiera. I would answer if I could. | |
| Tú | contestarías | Tú contestarías más rápido. You would answer faster. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | contestaría | Ella contestaría si llamaras. She would answer if you called. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestaríamos | Nosotros contestaríamos en ese caso. We would answer in that case. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestaríais | Vosotros contestaríais si supierais. You all would answer if you knew. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contestarían | Ellos contestarían si estuvieran aquí. They would answer if they were here. |
El Pretérito Perfecto - used to describe actions that started recently and are still happening now
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | he contestado | Yo he contestado todas las preguntas. I have answered all the questions. | |
| Tú | has contestado | Tú has contestado muy bien. You have answered very well. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | ha contestado | Ella ha contestado el teléfono. She has answered the phone. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hemos contestado | Nosotros hemos contestado las cartas. We have answered the letters. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | habéis contestado | Vosotros habéis contestado rápido. You all have answered quickly. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | han contestado | Ellos han contestado las preguntas. They have answered the questions. |
El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto - used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | había contestado | Yo ya había contestado cuando llamaste. I had already answered when you called. | |
| Tú | habías contestado | Tú habías contestado antes de que llegara. You had answered before I arrived. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | había contestado | Ella había contestado el correo ayer. She had answered the email yesterday. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | habíamos contestado | Nosotros habíamos contestado todas las preguntas. We had answered all the questions. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | habíais contestado | Vosotros habíais contestado antes de salir. You all had answered before leaving. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | habían contestado | Ellos habían contestado el teléfono. They had answered the phone. |
El Futuro Perfecto - used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré contestado | Para entonces, habré contestado todos los correos. By then, I will have answered all the emails. | |
| Tú | habrás contestado | ¿Para mañana, habrás contestado la carta? By tomorrow, will you have answered the letter? | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | habrá contestado | Ella habrá contestado antes de salir. She will have answered before leaving. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | habremos contestado | Nosotros habremos contestado para entonces. We will have answered by then. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | habréis contestado | Vosotros habréis contestado el teléfono. You all will have answered the phone. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | habrán contestado | Ellos habrán contestado la invitación. They will have answered the invitation. |
El Condicional Perfecto - used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn't
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría contestado | Yo habría contestado si hubiera sabido. I would have answered if I had known. | |
| Tú | habrías contestado | Tú habrías contestado antes. You would have answered earlier. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | habría contestado | Ella habría contestado si hubiera llegado. She would have answered if she had arrived. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | habríamos contestado | Nosotros habríamos contestado, pero no pudimos. We would have answered, but we couldn't. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | habríais contestado | Vosotros habríais contestado si os hubieran llamado. You all would have answered if they had called you. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | habrían contestado | Ellos habrían contestado si hubieran visto el mensaje. They would have answered if they had seen the message. |
El Presente de Subjuntivo - used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | conteste | Espero que yo conteste la llamada. I hope I answer the call. | |
| Tú | contestes | Es importante que tú contestes pronto. It's important that you answer soon. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | conteste | Es posible que ella conteste mañana. It's possible that she answers tomorrow. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestemos | Queremos que nosotros contestemos juntos. We want us to answer together. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestéis | Espero que vosotros contestéis la pregunta. I hope you all answer the question. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contesten | Dudo que ellos contesten ahora. I doubt that they answer now. |
El Imperfecto Subjuntivo - used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestara | Esperaba que yo contestara la llamada. I hoped that I would answer the call. | |
| Tú | contestaras | Querías que tú contestaras el correo. You wanted you to reply to the email. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | contestara | Dudaba que él contestara la pregunta. I doubted that he would answer the question. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestáramos | Era importante que nosotros contestáramos pronto. It was important that we answered soon. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestárais | No creía que vosotros contestarais tarde. I didn't believe that you all would answer late. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contestaran | Esperaban que ellos contestaran rápidamente. They hoped that they would answer quickly. |
El Futuro de Subjuntivo - used to speak about hypothetical situations and actions/events that may happen in the future
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | contestare | Si me llamas, contestare enseguida. If you call me, I will answer immediately. | |
| Tú | contestares | Cuando llegues, contestare la carta. When you arrive, I will answer the letter. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | contestare | El secretario contestare el teléfono mañana. The secretary will answer the phone tomorrow. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestáremos | Nosotros contestáremos en la reunión. We will answer in the meeting. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestareis | Vosotros contestareis la invitación pronto. You all will answer the invitation soon. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contestaren | Ellos contestaren las preguntas difíciles. They will answer the difficult questions. |
El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo - used to describe past actions still connected to the present
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya contestado | Espero que haya contestado tu mensaje. I hope I have answered your message. | |
| Tú | hayas contestado | Es posible que hayas contestado tarde. It's possible that you have answered late. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | haya contestado | No creo que haya contestado aún. I don't think he has answered yet. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hayamos contestado | Es importante que hayamos contestado a tiempo. It's important that we have answered on time. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | hayáis contestado | Me alegra que hayáis contestado pronto. I'm glad that you all have answered soon. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hayan contestado | No creo que hayan contestado todavía. I don't think they have answered yet. |
El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo - used to speak about hypothetical situations in the past
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera contestado | Si hubiera contestado antes, habría evitado el problema. If I had answered earlier, I would have avoided the problem. | |
| Tú | hubieras contestado | Si hubieras contestado, habríamos llegado a tiempo. If you had answered, we would have arrived on time. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | hubiera contestado | Ella habría contestado si le hubieran preguntado. She would have answered if they had asked her. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hubiéramos contestado | Si hubiéramos contestado, no habría ocurrido esto. If we had answered, this wouldn't have happened. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | hubierais contestado | Si hubierais contestado, todo sería diferente. If you all had answered, everything would be different. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hubieran contestado | Si hubieran contestado, la situación sería distinta. If they had answered, the situation would be different. |
El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo - used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situation occurs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere contestado | Cuando llegue, ya hubiere contestado. When I arrive, I will have already answered. | |
| Tú | hubieres contestado | Para entonces, tú hubieres contestado. By then, you will have already answered. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | hubiere contestado | Es posible que él hubiere contestado. It is possible that he will have answered. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | hubiéremos contestado | Quizá nosotros hubiéremos contestado. Maybe we will have answered. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | hubiereis contestado | Para entonces, vosotros hubiereis contestado. By then, you all will have answered. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hubieren contestado | Es probable que ellos hubieren contestado. It is likely that they will have answered. |
El Imperativo Afirmativo - used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | — | No uses el teléfono ahora. Don't use the phone now. | |
| Tú | contesta | ¡Contesta la pregunta! Answer the question! | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | conteste | Por favor, conteste el teléfono. Please answer the phone. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | contestemos | Contestemos todas las dudas. Let's answer all the doubts. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | contestad | ¡Contestad rápidamente! Answer quickly! | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | contesten | ¡Contesten las preguntas ahora! Answer the questions now! |
El Imperativo Negativo - used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | no contesto | No te digo que no contesto. I don't tell you not to answer. | |
| Tú | no contestes | No contestes si no sabes la respuesta. Don't answer if you don't know the answer. | |
| Él / Ella / Usted | no conteste | Por favor, no conteste sin pensar. Please, don't answer without thinking. | |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | no contestemos | No contestemos hasta tener más información. Let's not answer until we have more information. | |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | no contestéis | No contestéis esas llamadas ahora. Don't answer those calls now. | |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | no contesten | No contesten si no están seguros. Don't answer if you're not sure. |
Master Spanish vocabulary with our scientifically-proven spaced repetition app