Contestar is a regular -ar verb in Spanish.
Practice contestar free →Contestar means 'to answer' or 'to reply', and it is a regular -ar verb that means the same as responder. Contesta a la pregunta (answer the question), no contestó el teléfono (he didn't answer the phone). Having both contestar and responder gives you useful variety when writing about communication. Because answering questions is central to speaking exams, reading comprehension and conversation, it is a high-frequency verb. As a regular -ar verb the conjugation is predictable; note that, like responder, it often takes a before what you are answering.
Quick facts
Contestar (to answer) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Contesta a la pregunta (answer the question).
No contestó el teléfono (he didn't answer the phone).
Responder means the same.
Central to question-and-answer practice.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
Contestar is a regular verb. Make sure you know the endings for each tense — especially the preterite and subjunctive, which is where marks are most often lost.
contestar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know contestar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice contestar now →Three questions. Press Enter to check each answer.
yo: contesto, tú: contestas, él: contesta, nosotros: contestamos, vosotros: contestáis, ellos: contestan
Contestar is a regular -ar verb following the standard -ar pattern.
Use contestar in multiple tenses to show range — present, preterite and future at minimum. This is a key criterion for higher GCSE marks.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with contestar or that behave like it.
This reference is written for UK GCSE and A-Level Spanish learners and their teachers. It is designed for exam revision: every form is checked against standard conjugation rules, and the examples reflect the registers and topics that come up in the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas specifications. Contestar is a high-frequency verb and appears often in exam papers. For active recall, use the free practice tool rather than only reading the tables.