Contaban (en. They counted)

/konˈtaβan/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishSpanish
verb
To indicate or narrate a series of facts or stories.
When we were children, they told us stories every night.
Cuando éramos niños, nos contaban cuentos cada noche.
To take into account a number of objects or people.
They counted how many friends would come to the party.
Contaban cuántos amigos vendrían a la fiesta.
To inform or report past events.
They talked about their travels around the world.
Ellos contaban sobre sus viajes por el mundo.

Etymology

From the verb contar, which comes from the Latin 'computare'.

Common Phrases and Expressions

to count among
To include someone or something in a group.
contar entre
to count on
To have something available or to count on someone's help.
contar con
to tell stories
To narrate tales, stories, or anecdotes.
contar historias

Related Words

contar
Verb that means to relate or narrate events.
contar
cuento
Brief story that can be fictional or real.
cuento
recuento
Action of recounting something again.
recuento

Slang Meanings

To talk a lot about a topic in an interrupted manner.
When they get together, they always talked about their jobs.
Cuando se reúnen, siempre contaban sobre sus trabajos.
To say figures or statistics informally.
In the meeting, they counted the hours they had worked before.
En la reunión, contaban las horas que habían trabajado antes.