contar

From Latin computāre.

• IPA^(key): /konˈtaɾ/ [kõn̪ˈt̪aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: con‧tar

contar (first-person singular indicative present cuento, past participle contáu)

1. (transitive) to count (enumerate or determine a number)
2. to do the math

   Cunta lo que gastemos na plaza

   Do the math, what did we spend in the square

3. to count on (often with con)

   Nun contaba con eso

   I wasn't expecting that

4. to narrate, tell
5. to take into account (often with con)

   Nun cuenten contigo

   They aren't taking you into account

6. to think, believe

   Synonyms: cuidar, pensar

   Yá contaba qu’ibas vinir pronto

   I was thinking you'd come soon

7. to swear (something it's true)

   Cuenta que nun vas dir

   He swears you aren't coming

8. to plan (something in the future) (also with de)

   Cuenta casase

   He's planning on marrying

9. to equal to (with por)

   La fuercia d'esti home cunta por dos

   This man's strenghth amounts to two [men]

10. to equal to (with por)

• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “contar”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN
• “contar”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1ª edición, Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, 2000, →ISBN

Inherited from Latin computāre. Compare Occitan contar, French conter.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kunˈta]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [konˈta]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [konˈtaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a(ɾ)

contar (first-person singular present conto, first-person singular preterite contí, past participle contat); root stress: (Central, Valencia, Balearic) /o/

1. (transitive) to tell, to say

• “contar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “contar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “contar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “contar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese contar, from Latin computāre. Doublet of computar.

• IPA^(key): /konˈtaɾ/ [kon̪ˈt̪aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Hyphenation: con‧tar

contar (first-person singular present conto, first-person singular preterite contei, past participle contado)

1. (transitive) to count; to compute

   Synonyms: computar, osmar

   • 1280, Clarinda de Azevedo Maia, editor, História do galego-português. Estado linguístico da Galiza e do Noroeste de Portugal do século XII ao século XVI, Coimbra: I.N.I.C, page 186:

     oſ quaeſ dez anos deſuſu ditos que am de uíír ſe deuẽ a contar deſte dia ena era deſta carta

     said ten aforementioned years to come must be counted from this day of the date of this charter

2. (transitive) to tell, recount, narrate

   Avó, cóntame un conto! ― Gandfather, tell me a story!

3. (intransitive) to count, matter (to be of significance)
4. (intransitive) to rely, to count [with con ‘on’]

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “contar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “contar”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “contar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “contar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “contar”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

From Spanish contar.

contar

1. to tell (a story); to narrate

From Old Galician-Portuguese contar, from Latin computāre. Doublet of computar.

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧tar

contar (first-person singular present conto, first-person singular preterite contei, past participle contado)

1. (transitive) to tell (to convey given information) [with que ‘that’]

   Eles nos contaram que quase morreram. ― They told us that they almost died.

2. (transitive) to tell; to narrate (relate a story or series of events)

   Às vezes precisamos contar umas mentiras. ― Sometimes we need to tell some lies.

3. (transitive) to count (determine the quantity of)

   Contei vinte maçãs. ― I counted twenty apples.

4. (transitive) to be [an amount of time] old; to have [an amount of time] of existence

   O seu primeiro filho conta já dezoito anos. ― His firstborn is already eighteen years old.

5. (intransitive) to rely, to count [with com ‘on’]

   Contamos contigo para trazer a munição. ― We are counting on you to bring the ammunition.

6. (intransitive or transitive) to have at one’s disposal; to have available [with com or (uncommon) direct object ‘something’]

   Nosso país conta com um exército medíocre. ― Our country has a mediocre army.

7. (intransitive) to count; to matter (be of significance)

   Aquele ponto não contou, porque o jogador fez falta. ― That point didn’t count, because the player made a foul.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:contar.

• contável
• contar vantagem

• Kabuverdianu: konta

• “contar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “contar”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2026
• “contar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “contar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “contar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN
• “contar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Inherited from Latin computāre. Doublet of computar. Cognate with English count and compute.

• IPA^(key): /konˈtaɾ/ [kõn̪ˈt̪aɾ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: con‧tar

contar (first-person singular present cuento, first-person singular preterite conté, past participle contado)

1. (transitive) to count; to tally
2. (transitive) to tell (a story); narrate

   Synonyms: narrar, relatar, platicar

   Cuéntame la verdad, o te vas a quedar aquí toda la noche.

   Tell me the truth, or you will stay here all night.

3. (transitive) to be (a certain number of years of age)

   Cuando contaba treinta años.

   When he was thirty years of age

4. (intransitive) to rely [with con ‘on’]
5. (intransitive) to have available [with con]

   Contamos con suficiente personal para atenderle apropiadamente.

   We have enough staff available to take good care of you.

• “contar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

• contra, cantor, cortan, tranco, cartón

From Latin computō, computāre (compare Italian contare).

contar

1. (transitive) to count (all senses)
2. (transitive) to tell (a story)