contemplar
verbCEFR B2
What does “contemplar” mean in English?
1.to gaze at, to contemplate
to gaze at, to contemplate (contemplar el paisaje — look at something steadily and with attention)
2.to cover, to provide for
to cover, to provide for (a document or plan making explicit provision; el texto contempla…)
3.gaze at, observe — to look steadily at; also in formal use: to envisage or provide for
gaze at, observe — to look steadily at; also in formal use: to envisage or provide for ('el plan contempla tres fases')
Example sentences
El texto contempla varias excepciones que deberían haberse desarrollado con mayor detalle.
The text provides for several exceptions that should have been elaborated in greater detail.
Conviene contemplar la posibilidad de que los resultados no sean concluyentes antes de diseñar el plan de acción.
It is advisable to envisage the possibility that the results may not be conclusive before designing the action plan.
How to use it
Contemplar in formal and legal-adjacent registers means 'to provide for', 'to include', 'to envisage'. This is a false friend risk: English speakers may think it only means 'to contemplate (think about)', but in Spanish formal writing, 'el reglamento contempla' means 'the regulation provides for / includes'. The frame is 'contemplar + noun' (contemplar excepciones, posibilidades, escenarios). A secondary debate sense is 'contemplar la posibilidad de que + subjunctive' — to envisage the possibility that. Both senses are B2-relevant; learners need to distinguish the meta-cognitive sense from the legal/textual sense.
Common mistake
False friend alert: English 'contemplate' primarily means to think about or consider. Spanish 'contemplar' in formal registers means 'to provide for/include in a framework'. Using 'contemplar' where you mean 'considerar' (consider an idea) is usually fine but mixing the senses can cause confusion. The que-clause sense always takes subjunctive: 'contemplar la posibilidad de que + subjunctive'.