Contar in Portuguese: Count, Tell a Story, or Rely on Someone?
Contar can mean to count, to tell, or to count on someone; the words that follow make the meaning clear.
Real Life Portuguese · 7 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Contar means “to count” when it refers to numbers, money, objects, or time. The context usually makes this meaning obvious: contar até dez (count to ten), contar as moedas (count the coins). The verb is regular in the present except for its spelling and conjugation patterns as an -ar verb.
Use contar for counting numbers or items
Count what you can see or name a sequence. If you mean that you are calculating a total, contar can still work, but somar or calcular may be more precise in some contexts.
Meu filho já sabe contar até vinte.
My son already knows how to count to twenty.
Pode contar quantas cadeiras estão na sala?
Can you count how many chairs are in the room?
Vou contar o dinheiro antes de fechar o caixa.
I’m going to count the money before closing the register.
Use contar to tell someone information or a story
Contar can mean “to tell” when you share a story, experience, or piece of information. A common pattern is contar algo para alguém (tell something to someone) or contar que… (tell that…). Context changes the translation while the Portuguese verb stays the same.
Use a person after para when you want to identify the listener: contei a novidade para a minha irmã. In casual speech, para often reduces to pra, while careful writing usually keeps para.
Ela contou uma história engraçada para as crianças.
She told a funny story to the children.
Vou contar para você o que aconteceu.
I’m going to tell you what happened.
Ele contou que vai mudar de cidade.
He said that he is going to move to another city.
Use contar com for relying on someone or including them
Contar com means “to count on” or “to rely on” someone or something. It can also mean to include someone in a plan: pode contar comigo (you can count on me). The preposition com is an important part of this pattern.
This expression often communicates support, but do not promise more than you can offer. Add a specific action or condition if you want the commitment to be clear.
Pode contar comigo para a mudança.
You can count on me to help with the move.
Estamos contando com você na reunião.
We’re counting on you at the meeting.
O projeto conta com o apoio da comunidade.
The project has the community’s support.
Use the words around contar to find the meaning
Look for a number or object after contar when it means count, a story or clause when it means tell, and com when it means count on. The surrounding words prevent you from forcing one English translation onto every sentence.
For more verbs with several translations, explore Real Life Portuguese guides to falar and dizer, and pedir and perguntar. I Speak Portuguese teachers can help you practice telling a short story and offering support in a conversation. Repeat the full phrase until the structure feels familiar.
Conta comigo se você precisar de ajuda.
Count on me if you need help.
Ele contou os dias para as férias.
He counted down the days until vacation.
A Ana contou que conheceu um ator famoso.
Ana said that she met a famous actor.
Put it into practice
Contar can mean count, tell, or rely on. Notice whether the sentence contains items/numbers, a story or clause, or the pattern contar com.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “The project has the community’s support”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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