contactar — Spanish conjugation
to contact
Indicative
Present (Presente) Regular
The present tense is the most versatile tense in Spanish. It covers actions happening right now, habitual actions, and even near-future plans. One form does the work of three English constructions.
Ella habla inglés — She speaks / is speaking English
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | contacto | I contact |
| tú | contactas | you contact |
| vos | contactás | you contact |
| él/ella/Ud. | contacta | he/she/it contacts |
| nosotros | contactamos | we contact |
| vosotros | contactáis | you (pl.) contact |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contactan | they contact |
Preterite (Pretérito indefinido) Regular
Used for completed past actions with a defined endpoint — a single event, a series of events, or an action that interrupted another. Common with time expressions like ayer, el lunes, una vez.
Ella habló de ti ayer — She spoke about you yesterday
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | contacté | I contacted |
| tú | contactaste | you contacted |
| vos | contactaste | you contacted |
| él/ella/Ud. | contactó | he/she/it contacted |
| nosotros | contactamos | we contacted |
| vosotros | contactasteis | you (pl.) contacted |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contactaron | they contacted |
Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto) Regular
Describes ongoing or habitual past states — what things were like, background context, what used to happen. Contrasts with the preterite which marks completed events.
Cuando era niño vivía en Valencia — When I was a child I lived in Valencia
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | contactaba |
| tú | contactabas |
| vos | contactabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | contactaba |
| nosotros | contactábamos |
| vosotros | contactabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contactaban |
Conditional (Condicional) Regular
Expresses hypothetical actions, polite requests, and what would happen under certain conditions. Also used for reported speech about the future from a past perspective.
¿Podrías ayudarme? — Could you help me?
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | contactaría | I would contact |
| tú | contactarías | you would contact |
| vos | contactarías | you would contact |
| él/ella/Ud. | contactaría | he/she/it would contact |
| nosotros | contactaríamos | we would contact |
| vosotros | contactaríais | you (pl.) would contact |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contactarían | they would contact |
Future (Futuro) Regular
Expresses future actions, predictions, and probability about the present. Formed with the full infinitive as stem for most verbs. In spoken Spanish, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for near future.
Ella hablará en conferencia mañana — She will speak at the conference tomorrow
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | contactaré | I will contact |
| tú | contactarás | you will contact |
| vos | contactarás | you will contact |
| él/ella/Ud. | contactará | he/she/it will contact |
| nosotros | contactaremos | we will contact |
| vosotros | contactaréis | you (pl.) will contact |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contactarán | they will contact |
Present perfect (Pretérito perfecto) Regular
A compound past tense linking a past action to the present moment — something that has happened and still feels recent or relevant. More common in Spain than Latin America where preterite is preferred.
Hoy he hablado con el jefe — Today I have spoken with the boss
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | he contactado | I have contacted |
| tú | has contactado | you have contacted |
| vos | has contactado | you have contacted |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha contactado | he/she/it has contacted |
| nosotros | hemos contactado | we have contacted |
| vosotros | habéis contactado | you (pl.) have contacted |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han contactado | they have contacted |
Pluperfect (Pretérito pluscuamperfecto) Regular
The past of the past — describes an action that was already completed before another past event happened. Always implies a reference point in the past.
Ya había hablado cuando llegaste — She had already spoken when you arrived
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | había contactado | I had contacted |
| tú | habías contactado | you had contacted |
| vos | habías contactado | you had contacted |
| él/ella/Ud. | había contactado | he/she/it had contacted |
| nosotros | habíamos contactado | we had contacted |
| vosotros | habíais contactado | you (pl.) had contacted |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían contactado | they had contacted |
Conditional perfect (Condicional perfecto) Regular
Expresses what would have happened — actions that were possible but did not occur, or regrets about the past. Formed with conditional of haber + past participle.
Habría hablado, pero no me dejaron — I would have spoken, but they did not let me
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | habría contactado |
| tú | habrías contactado |
| vos | habrías contactado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría contactado |
| nosotros | habríamos contactado |
| vosotros | habríais contactado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían contactado |
Future perfect (Futuro perfecto) Regular
Describes an action that will have been completed by a certain point in the future, or expresses probability about a recent past action.
Para el lunes habré terminado — By Monday I will have finished
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | habré contactado | I will have contacted |
| tú | habrás contactado | you will have contacted |
| vos | habrás contactado | you will have contacted |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá contactado | he/she/it will have contacted |
| nosotros | habremos contactado | we will have contacted |
| vosotros | habréis contactado | you (pl.) will have contacted |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán contactado | they will have contacted |
Subjunctive
Present subjunctive (Subjuntivo presente) Regular
Used in subordinate clauses after expressions of desire, doubt, emotion, necessity, or impersonal statements. Triggered by a change of subject between the main and subordinate clause.
Espero que hable — I hope she speaks
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | contacte |
| tú | contactes |
| vos | contactes |
| él/ella/Ud. | contacte |
| nosotros | contactemos |
| vosotros | contactéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contacten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-ra)) Regular
The past subjunctive used after past main verbs, in if-clauses with conditional, and for polite softening. The -ra form is more common in everyday speech than the -se form.
Si pudiera, lo haría — If I could, I would do it
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | contactara |
| tú | contactaras |
| vos | contactaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | contactara |
| nosotros | contactáramos |
| vosotros | contactarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contactaran |
Imperfect subjunctive (-se) (Subjuntivo imperfecto (-se)) Regular
The alternative past subjunctive form. Interchangeable with -ra in most contexts but slightly more literary or formal. Both forms are grammatically correct in all regions.
Si pudiese, lo haría — If I could, I would do it
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | contactase |
| tú | contactases |
| vos | contactases |
| él/ella/Ud. | contactase |
| nosotros | contactásemos |
| vosotros | contactaseis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | contactasen |
Perfect subjunctive (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) Regular
A compound subjunctive that expresses completed actions in a subjunctive context — used after present or future main verbs expressing doubt, emotion or desire.
Dudo que ya haya llegado — I doubt she has already arrived
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | haya contactado |
| tú | hayas contactado |
| vos | hayas contactado |
| él/ella/Ud. | haya contactado |
| nosotros | hayamos contactado |
| vosotros | hayáis contactado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hayan contactado |
Pluperfect subjunctive (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) Regular
Expresses what had happened in hypothetical or unreal past contexts — the subjunctive equivalent of the pluperfect. Common in contrary-to-fact past conditions.
Si hubiera hablado, lo habrían creído — If she had spoken, they would have believed her
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | hubiera contactado |
| tú | hubieras contactado |
| vos | hubieras contactado |
| él/ella/Ud. | hubiera contactado |
| nosotros | hubiéramos contactado |
| vosotros | hubierais contactado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | hubieran contactado |
Other forms
Imperative (affirmative) (Imperativo afirmativo) Regular
Direct commands and instructions. The imperative only exists for tú, usted, nosotros, vosotros and ustedes — yo has no command form. Affirmative and negative forms use different conjugations.
Habla más despacio — Speak more slowly
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| tú | contacta |
| vos | contactá |
| él/ella/Ud. | contacte |
| nosotros | contactemos |
| vosotros | contactad |
| ustedes | contacten |
Imperative (negative) (Imperativo negativo) Regular
Negative commands use the subjunctive forms for all persons. Formed with no + present subjunctive. This applies to all persons including tú where the affirmative uses a different form.
No hables tan rápido — Do not speak so fast
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| tú | no contactes |
| vos | no contactes |
| él/ella/Ud. | no contacte |
| nosotros | no contactemos |
| vosotros | no contactéis |
| ustedes | no contacten |
Present progressive (Presente progresivo) Regular
Emphasises that an action is happening right now at this very moment. Less common than in English since the present tense already covers ongoing actions in Spanish.
Estoy hablando contigo — I am speaking with you
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estoy contactando |
| tú | estás contactando |
| vos | estás contactando |
| él/ella/Ud. | está contactando |
| nosotros | estamos contactando |
| vosotros | estáis contactando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | están contactando |
Preterite progressive (Pretérito indefinido progresivo) Regular
Describes an action that was in progress throughout a completed past period. Uses the preterite of estar + gerund to emphasise the ongoing nature within a defined timeframe.
Estuvo hablando toda la tarde — He was talking all afternoon
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estuve contactando |
| tú | estuviste contactando |
| vos | estuviste contactando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estuvo contactando |
| nosotros | estuvimos contactando |
| vosotros | estuvisteis contactando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estuvieron contactando |
Imperfect progressive (Pretérito imperfecto progresivo) Regular
Emphasises an ongoing background action using the imperfect of estar + gerund. Layered on top of the imperfect which already conveys continuity — used for extra emphasis on the progressive nature.
Estaba hablando cuando entró — I was speaking when he came in
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaba contactando |
| tú | estabas contactando |
| vos | estabas contactando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaba contactando |
| nosotros | estábamos contactando |
| vosotros | estabais contactando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estaban contactando |
Conditional progressive (Condicional progresivo) Regular
Expresses what would be in progress under hypothetical conditions. Uses the conditional of estar + gerund. Less common but used for emphasis on the ongoing nature of a hypothetical action.
Estaría hablando ahora si pudiera — I would be speaking now if I could
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaría contactando |
| tú | estarías contactando |
| vos | estarías contactando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estaría contactando |
| nosotros | estaríamos contactando |
| vosotros | estaríais contactando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarían contactando |
Future progressive (Futuro progresivo) Regular
Describes an action that will be in progress at a future point, or expresses probability about an ongoing present action. Uses the future of estar + gerund.
Mañana a esta hora estaré viajando — At this time tomorrow I will be travelling
| Pronoun | Spanish |
|---|---|
| yo | estaré contactando |
| tú | estarás contactando |
| vos | estarás contactando |
| él/ella/Ud. | estará contactando |
| nosotros | estaremos contactando |
| vosotros | estaréis contactando |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | estarán contactando |