cuentan

Cuentan is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb contar, which has two broad meanings: to count or tally numbers, and to tell or narrate stories. Because of this, cuent a forms can mean “they count” as in counting items or “they tell” as in recounting stories. The subject pronouns are usually ellos, ellas, or ustedes.

In the present tense, contar is a stem-changing verb. The forms are: cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis, cuentan. Note that the stem change appears in cuent- for all forms except nosotros and vosotros, which use cont- (contamos, contáis). Consequently, cu entan specifically marks a plural third-person subject: “they count” or “they tell.”

Usage and examples:

- Ellos cuentan las monedas sobre la mesa. (They are counting the coins on the table.)

- Ellas cuentan historias de su infancia. (They tell stories from their childhood.)

- Ustedes cuentan con mi ayuda. (You all count on my help.)

Etymology and related forms:

Contar derives from Latin computare, meaning to reckon or count. The noun cuenta (account, bill) and the noun cuento (story) share the same root, reflecting the verb’s dual senses. Related forms include cuento (story), cuenta (account), and la cuenta (the bill or account in a financial sense).

In summary, cu entan serves as the present-tense, 3rd-person plural form of contar, applicable to both numerical counting and narrating or recounting.