"cuenta con"

Question

The phrase "cuenta con" is sometimes used in lieu of "tiene," at least in Argentina. I would like to know how widespread this usage is. Mexico? Spain? Panama? etc.

"A pesar de que Boquete es una ciudad relativamente pequeña cuenta con una hermosa biblioteca, con excelente atención." Even though/Despite/Although/In spite of the fact that...Boquete es a relatively small town it comes/it has/it maintains a beautiful library.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I'm not savvy about different usages in different countries, but there are some here who will be able to enlighten both of us. I used to know some phrases in Chomorran but have fogotten. - Jubilado, Jun 17, 2016

Answer 1

Contar con is a basic Spanish phrase rather than a regionalism.

Your translation is good for his case. It also means "to count on someone", ie: Puedes contar conmigo cuando te toque ir a la delegación ... You can count on me when it´s time for you to go to the police station.

I agree - 000a35ff, Jun 17, 2016

Yes, I had only heard it used in this way before in Spanish used in Spain :) - FELIZ77, Jun 18, 2016

Thanks for letting me know its not a regionalism. There are many regionalisms, I'm trying to ignore them and focus on basic Spanish. And I'll keep in mind that "contar con" can mean "to count on someone." - GadaMadru, Jun 18, 2016