Language/Spanish/Grammar/Tener
Conjugation
In Spanish, the verb "tener" means "to have." It is an irregular verb, which means its conjugation does not follow the standard patterns of regular verbs. Here is a breakdown of the conjugation of "tener" in the present, past (preterite and imperfect), and future tenses in the indicative mood.
Present Tense - Presente de Indicativo
- yo tengo - I have
- tú tienes - you have (informal)
- él/ella/usted tiene - he/she/you (formal) have
- nosotros/nosotras tenemos - we have
- vosotros/vosotras tenéis - you all have (informal)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen - they/you all (formal) have
Past Tense
a) Preterite Tense - Pretérito Perfecto Simple
- yo tuve - I had
- tú tuviste - you had (informal)
- él/ella/usted tuvo - he/she/you (formal) had
- nosotros/nosotras tuvimos - we had
- vosotros/vosotras tuvisteis - you all had (informal)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes tuvieron - they/you all (formal) had
b) Imperfect Tense - Pretérito Imperfecto
- yo tenía - I used to have, I had
- tú tenías - you used to have, you had (informal)
- él/ella/usted tenía - he/she/you (formal) used to have, had
- nosotros/nosotras teníamos - we used to have, we had
- vosotros/vosotras teníais - you all used to have, you all had (informal)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes tenían - they/you all (formal) used to have, had
Future Tense - Futuro Simple
- yo tendré - I will have
- tú tendrás - you will have (informal)
- él/ella/usted tendrá - he/she/you (formal) will have
- nosotros/nosotras tendremos - we will have
- vosotros/vosotras tendréis - you all will have (informal)
- ellos/ellas/ustedes tendrán - they/you all (formal) will have
Subjunctive Mood
Used for hypothetical situations, wishes, or emotions. The conjugation of "tener" in the subjunctive mood is as follows:
- yo tenga
- tú tengas
- él/ella/usted tenga
- nosotros/nosotras tengamos
- vosotros/vosotras tengáis
- ellos/ellas/ustedes tengan
Imperative Mood
Used for giving commands or requests. The conjugation of "tener" in the imperative mood varies depending on whether the command is affirmative or negative:
- Affirmative (tú): ten
- Negative (tú): no tengas
- Affirmative (usted): tenga
- Negative (usted): no tenga
- Affirmative (nosotros/nosotras): tengamos
- Negative (nosotros/nosotras): no tengamos
- Affirmative (vosotros/vosotras): tened
- Negative (vosotros/vosotras): no tengáis
- Affirmative (ustedes): tengan
- Negative (ustedes): no tengan
Use of the verb "Tener" in Spanish
Use of the verb "Tener" to express feelings or sensations
In English, we use TO BE + ADJECTIVE
:
- Tengo hambre
I'm hungry
It's less common to say:
Estoy hambriento(like in English).
In Spanish we use TENER + NAME
:
- Tengo frío
I'm cold
- Tengo sueño
I'm sleepy
Use of the verb "Tener" to say your age
- In English, they use "to be": I'm 22 (years old).
- In Spanish, we say "Tengo 20 (años)".
Use of the verb "Tener" to express possession
- Tengo una casa
I have a house
Use of the verb tener"Tener" to manifest obligation
- Tengo que estudiar
I have to study
Examples of Use (Phrases)
This section provides practical examples of how "tener" is used in various contexts:
Expressing Feelings or Sensations
- Tengo miedo
- I am scared
- Tengo calor
- I am hot
- Tengo prisa
- I am in a hurry
Indicating Age
- Tengo treinta años
- I am thirty years old
- ¿Cuántos años tienes?
- How old are you?
Expressing Possession
- Tengo un libro interesante
- I have an interesting book
- ¿Tienes un bolígrafo?
- Do you have a pen?
Indicating Obligation
- Tengo que irme ahora
- I have to go now
- Tenemos que terminar el proyecto
- We have to finish the project
Using Subjunctive Mood
- Es importante que tengas paciencia
- It's important that you have patience
- Quiero que tengamos una conversación
- I want us to have a conversation
Using Imperative Mood
- Ten cuidado
- Be careful (informal)
- Tengan éxito
- Be successful (formal/plural)
Complete Quiz
Test your understanding of the verb "tener" with this comprehensive quiz:
- Choose the correct form of "tener" for the following sentence: "Yo _____ dos hermanos."
- a) tengo
- b) tienes
- c) tienen
- Translate to Spanish: "They need to have patience."
- a) Tienen que tener paciencia
- b) Tenemos que tener paciencia
- c) Tengo que tener paciencia
- Fill in the blank with the correct subjunctive form of "tener": "Es necesario que tú _____ cuidado."
- a) tenga
- b) tengas
- c) tengamos
- What is the imperative form of "tener" for an informal command (tú)?
- a) Ten
- b) Tienes
- c) Tenga
- How do you say "I am 25 years old" in Spanish?
- a) Soy 25 años
- b) Tengo 25 años
- c) Estoy 25 años
- Answers
-
- 1. a) tengo
- 2. a) Tienen que tener paciencia
- 3. b) tengas
- 4. a) Ten
- 5. b) Tengo 25 años
Other Lessons
- Sentense Structure
- Conditional Mood
- Por vs Para
- Negation
- Prepositions
- How to conjugate in spanish
- Future Tense
- Use of verb Haber
- Be Polite
- The word that cannot be written