Contar con

Contar con
 

to count on?

consists of?
:thinking:

contar con:
To count on
To rely on
To expect
To have


consist of = constar de

¿No?

Oops! Typo corrected. Thanks!

Please have a look at this article:
http://blogs.elpais.com/periodismo-con-futuro/

Pay particular attention to : "the Guardian ya cuenta con una sección dedicada a las elecciones de 2012" I think cuenta con means
contains. I've seen it elsewhere where it appears to mean consists of.
I have always known cuentar con to mean to count on. I wonder if this
is Spain specific.:thinking:

The Guardian now has a section dedicated to the 2012 elections.
'Contains' is a good equivalent of 'has', in this case. (The dictionaries I consulted gave 'have'.)

In this case I think "counts with" fits perfectly.

That's the transliteration of 'cuenta con', to be sure, but 'counts with' doesn't fit in this sentence.
We 'count with' our fingers, or other items we can use as markers. We 'count on' someone or something.

So, it contar con used outside of Spain to mean to contain/ to consist of?

'To contain', yes. I don't believe it means 'to consist of', in Spain or anywhere else. These verbs have different meanings (in English and Spanish).

constar de = tener determinadas partes

I'm seeing 'contains' and 'consists of' in constar de. I see 'has' in contar con (but agree that a paper can contain (can have) a new section).

consist of = to be composed of; to be formed of

I understand it as such too. But take a look the title of this article:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/the-g...mented-switch/


Also look here:

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/count+with

I know that the usage is mostly to count numbers.

The 'count with' in the title is a noun followed by a preposition, not the verb 'count' followed by a preposition.

The other link shows the verb 'count' being used to mean that something is important. This usage is sometimes followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with 'with'.
Her opinion really counts. (important opinion)
Her opinion really counts with me. (her opinion is important to me)

Maybe some examples will help:

Puedes contar conmigo para ayudarte en lo que necesites.
You can count on me to help you in anything you need.

Puedes contar con Juan, es de confianza.
You can rely on Juan, he's trustworthy.

Contamos con que llegues a tiempo.
We expect you to arrive on time.

El restaurante cuenta con un área para fumadores.
The restaurant has a smoker area. (-> Apart from all the services in the restaurant, there is also a section for smokers.)

El comedor consta de seis sillas, una mesa y un gabinete.
The dining room furniture consists of six chairs, one table and a china cabinet. (-> All the pieces are included in the set.)


Edit: I was trying to clarify for Poli's last question, but two other replies were faster. :D

Just one more question regarding this. Can you say El comedor cuenta
con seis sillas, una mesa....?

Yes, the dining room has six chairs. (contar con)
But the dining set consists of six chairs. (constar de)

Also, "contar con" leaves open the possibility that the list is not complete; "el comedor cuenta con seis silla" = the dining room (set) has/includes 6 chairs. (No mention of table, cabinet, or other items that may or may not be present.)

I think that "constar de" strongly suggests a complete definition or enumeration:

"El comedor consta de seis silla, una mesa, y un gabinete" = the dining room (set) consists of six chairs, a table, and a cabinet (and nothing else).

I agree with Rusty and wrholt.

I would just like to add that if one says "cuenta con seis sillas, una mesa y un gabinete", it might mean the set includes something else too, like a side table, a vitrine or so.

Got it! :)