TERVAN

Verb Lookup

tener

to have

🤲 Infinitive · Infinitivo

tener

teh-NEHR

to have

Gerund · Gerundio: teniendo

Participle · Participio: tenido

EssentialIrregularPossession & Exchange

Yo · I

tengo

have

Yo tengo.

I have.

Tú · You

tienes

have

Tú tienes.

You have.

Él / Ella · He / She

tiene

has

Él / Ella tiene.

He / She has.

Nosotros · We

tenemos

have

Nosotros tenemos.

We have.

Ellos · They

tienen

have

Ellos tienen.

They have.

Why does this change?

Irregular
Doesn't follow a predictable pattern in at least one tense — these forms are worth memorizing individually rather than deriving from a rule.
Stem-changing
The vowel in the stem changes in most forms (e.g. e→ie, o→ue) — but the endings themselves stay completely regular.
  • e→ie in the present tense (except nosotros)
  • yo: tengo
  • preterite yo: tuve
  • future: tendré

Adds -g- before the yo ending, stem-changes e→ie elsewhere in the present, and has an irregular preterite stem and future stem.

In use · En uso

  • Tengo dos hermanas.
    I have two sisters.
  • Tuvimos un día largo en el trabajo.
    We had a long day at work.
  • Tendré tiempo libre el sábado.
    I will have free time on Saturday.

Common combinations · Combinaciones comunes

  • tener que + infinitivo — to have to (do something)

    e.g. tengo que salir = "I have to leave."

  • tener ... años — to be ... years old

    e.g. tengo treinta años = "I am thirty years old" — Spanish uses "have" where English uses "be."

  • tener hambre / sed / frío / calor / sueño — to be hungry / thirsty / cold / hot / sleepy

    Spanish describes these physical states with tener, not ser/estar.

Used in lessons · Usado en lecciones

Words and phrases · Palabras y frases

Phrases with this verb · Frases con el verbo

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