Why Contar Means Both "To Count" and "To Tell"
Contar does two jobs: it means to count numbers and it means to tell a story. Spanish sees one idea in both: you "count out" what happened. That is why cuenta conmigo, cuéntame and ¿qué cuentas? all come from the same verb.
Contar also changes its stem (cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, cuentan), so the chunks below save you from conjugating mid-sentence.
Pattern 1: Contar con… — "To count on…"
Use con for the person or thing you rely on. Cuenta conmigo is the chunk to say you will be there. For con plus a person, see also [Hablar] Chunks.
- Cuenta conmigo. — You can count on me.
- Contamos contigo para la fiesta. — We're counting on you for the party.
- No puedes contar con él. — You can't count on him.
Chunk to learn:
Contar con + [persona / cosa] / Cuenta conmigo
Pattern 2: Contar algo — "To tell a story, a joke, a secret"
Contar is the verb for telling stories, jokes and news. It is warmer than decir, which is for plain facts; see [Decir] Chunks. The command cuéntame is the friendly "tell me."
- Te voy a contar un secreto. — I'm going to tell you a secret.
- Me contó su viaje a Perú. — He told me about his trip to Peru.
- Cuéntame qué pasó. — Tell me what happened.
Chunk to learn:
Contar + [historia / chiste / secreto] / Cuéntame + [qué pasó]
Pattern 3: ¿Qué cuentas? — "What's up?"
A casual greeting between friends. It literally asks "what are you telling me?" and it invites news. Expect to hear it constantly in Spain, and in a lot of Latin America too, usually as ¿qué me cuentas?.
- ¿Qué cuentas? — What's up?
- ¿Qué me cuentas de nuevo? — What's new with you?
- Nada, ¿y tú qué cuentas? — Nothing much, what about you?
Chunk to learn:
¿Qué cuentas? / ¿Qué me cuentas?
Pattern 4: Contar hasta… — "To count up to…"
The number meaning. Use hasta for the limit and a noun for what you count. It is also the chunk for "count to ten" before you lose your temper.
- Cuenta hasta diez antes de contestar. — Count to ten before you answer.
- Voy a contar el dinero. — I'm going to count the money.
- Cuenta cuántas personas hay. — Count how many people there are.
Chunk to learn:
Contar hasta + [número] / Contar + [dinero / personas]
Pattern 5: Por mi cuenta — "On my own"
The noun cuenta gives you a very useful chunk for doing something independently, without help. The possessive changes with the person: por mi / tu / su cuenta. For more on por, see Por vs. Para Chunks.
- Lo hice por mi cuenta. — I did it on my own.
- Prefiero viajar por mi cuenta. — I prefer to travel on my own.
- Ella aprendió inglés por su cuenta. — She taught herself English.
Chunk to learn:
Por mi / tu / su cuenta
Pattern 6: A fin de cuentas — "After all / at the end of the day"
Use it to sum up your point after weighing everything. Its cousin en resumidas cuentas means "in short." Both sound natural when you explain a decision.
- A fin de cuentas, fue una buena decisión. — At the end of the day, it was a good decision.
- A fin de cuentas, todos queremos lo mismo. — After all, we all want the same thing.
- En resumidas cuentas, no nos conviene. — In short, it doesn't suit us.
Chunk to learn:
A fin de cuentas, … / En resumidas cuentas, …
Contar vs. Decir vs. Pedir
Use contar to tell a story, decir to say a fact, and pedir to ask for something; see [Pedir] Chunks. Me contó que se mudó tells you the whole story, while me dijo que se mudó only passes on the fact.
Start with cuenta conmigo and ¿qué cuentas?. You will hear both the next time you meet a Spanish-speaking friend.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.