contaba

Contaba is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb contar, meaning to count or to tell. In the imperfect tense, contaba expresses past actions that were habitual or ongoing, or serves to set a scene in narrative prose. The form can convey either “I was counting” (yo contaba) or “he/she was counting,” as well as “I used to tell” or “he/she used to tell” depending on the context and subject.

Contar itself derives from Latin computare, historically associated with counting, recounting, or narrating. In Spanish, the same verb covers both numerical counting and telling stories or events, a duality reflected in everyday usage and literature.

Usage examples illustrate the dual senses. For instance, “Cuando era niño, contaba historias a mis primos” means “When I was a child, I used to tell stories to my cousins,” while “Ella contaba las monedas en la mesa” can mean “She was counting the coins on the table.” Because the imperfect singular endings are identical for different subjects, context is essential to determine the correct subject.

As a verb form, contaba is not a standalone noun or place name in standard Spanish; it operates within clauses to convey past, habitual, or background information. It is commonly found in spoken language, journalism, and fiction to describe past routines, ongoing actions, or narrated events.