contados

Contados is the plural masculine form of contado, the past participle of contar in Spanish. It functions as an adjective meaning counted or enumerated, and it can modify masculine plural nouns. The feminine plural is contadas; the singular masculine is contado, and the singular feminine is contada. As a participle used in compound tenses, the form contado appears with haber (he contado, has contado, hemos contado). Contados is used when the noun it describes is masculine and plural, as in votos contados, resultados contados, or casos contados.

In typical usage, contados conveys that the items have been tallied or enumerated, often appearing in official reports, statistical summaries, or journalistic writing. It is common in contexts such as elections, audits, or conducted surveys to indicate that the numbers have been verified or completed, for example, “los votos contados” or “los resultados contados.” The form aligns with standard Spanish adjectival agreement and can be substituted with contados in similar constructions where enumeration is the defining attribute.

Beyond its grammatical role, contados may occasionally appear in discussions of counts or tallies as part of broader phrases like conteo y contados, though such uses are less common and more context-dependent. In onomastics or toponymy, Contados can function as a surname or as a toponym in some Spanish-speaking regions, but such usages are not widely documented in reference sources.

See also: contar, contado, contada, conteo.