Conjugations › Italian › contenere

contenere

to contain

Italian Irregular
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The Italian verb "contenere" means "to contain" in English. It is an irregular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "contenere" across all 5 tenses.

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Present Past (completed) Past (ongoing) Future Would (conditional)

How to Conjugate "contenere" in the Present Tense

Presente indicativo Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
io I contengo
tu you (informal) contieni
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) contiene
noi we conteniamo
voi you all contenete
loro they contengono
Questa bottiglia contiene acqua fresca.
This bottle contains fresh water.

How to Conjugate "contenere" in the Past (completed) Tense

Passato prossimo Actions that finished in the recent past
Person English Conjugation
io I ho contenuto
tu you (informal) hai contenuto
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) ha contenuto
noi we abbiamo contenuto
voi you all avete contenuto
loro they hanno contenuto
Lei ha contenuto il liquido.
She contained the liquid.

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How to Conjugate "contenere" in the Past (ongoing) Tense

Imperfetto Actions that were ongoing in the past
Person English Conjugation
io I contenevo
tu you (informal) contenevi
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) conteneva
noi we contenevamo
voi you all contenevate
loro they contenevano
La scatola conteneva vecchie foto.
The box used to contain old photos.

How to Conjugate "contenere" in the Future Tense

Futuro semplice Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
io I conterrò
tu you (informal) conterrai
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) conterrà
noi we conterremo
voi you all conterrete
loro they conterranno
Lei conterrà il liquido nella bottiglia.
She will contain the liquid in the bottle.

How to Conjugate "contenere" in the Would (conditional) Tense

Condizionale presente Hypothetical actions
Person English Conjugation
io I conterrei
tu you (informal) conterresti
lui/lei he/she/you (formal) conterrebbe
noi we conterremmo
voi you all conterreste
loro they conterrebbero
Lei conterrebbe il liquido versato.
She would contain the spilled liquid.
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Frequently Asked Questions About "contenere"

Is "contenere" regular or irregular in Italian?
"Contenere" is an irregular Italian verb, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns and must be memorized individually.
What does "contenere" mean in English?
The Italian verb "contenere" means "to contain" in English.
How do you conjugate "contenere" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Presente indicativo): io → contengo, tu → contieni, lui/lei → contiene, noi → conteniamo, voi → contenete, loro → contengono.
How many tenses does "contenere" have in Italian?
"Contenere" is conjugated across 5 tenses in Italian: Present, Past (completed), Past (ongoing), Future, Would (conditional).

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