Tener means "to have", but it is also used to form certain expressions ("to have to do something"), and certain conditions ("to be hungry, thirsty, hot," etc.)
Tener is both a Yo Irregular verb as well as a Stem-changing verb:
Tener |
yo |
Tú |
Él, ella, usted |
nosotros |
ellos, ellas, Uds. |
| tengo | tienes | tiene | tenemos | tienen |
Examples of Tener
| Tengo tres libros | I have three books |
| Tienes una familia muy unida | You have a very close-knit family. |
| Tenemos la clase de música a las nueve. | We have music class at nine o'clock. |
| Jenny y Chika tienen unas fotos de Leonardo DiCaprio | Jenny y Chika have some photos of Leonardo DiCaprio. |
| Tengo un póster del Hombre Murciélago | I have a Batman poster. |
Tener expressions
- In English we say that we are hungry or we are hot, using a form of "to Be". In Spanish, if you used a form of Ser with one of these descriptions, you would be saying something entirely different.
If you made the mistake of saying *Yo soy calor , you would be saying something like, "I am the incarnation of the abstract concept of Heat." This is probably not what you intended to say unless you were in a play involving the elements. So review the Tener phrases and practice them until it seems natural to say them.
Common Tener expressions include:
| Tener calor | to be hot |
| Tener cuidado | to be careful |
| Tener éxito | to be successful |
| Tener frío | to be cold |
| Tener ganas de | to feel like..., to have the desire to... |
| Tener hambre | to be hungry |
| Tener interés | to be interested |
| Tener miedo | to be afraid |
| Tener sed | to be thirsty |
| Tener sueño | to be sleepy |
| Tener prisa | to be in a hurry |
| Tener razón | to be right (correct) |
| No tener razón | to be wrong |
Another way we use Tener is to express that we "have to" do something.
The expression is constructed with Tener + que + infinitive:
| Tengo que estudiar esta mañana | I have to study this morning. |
| Tienes que practicar tenis hoy | You have to practice tenis today. |
| Tenemos que hablar con la profesora | We have to speak with the professor. |
| Tienen que ir al hospital | They have to go to the hospital. |
| Ustedes tienen que leer el drama | You (all) have to read the play. |
We also use Tener to express that we "really feel like" doing something or have the desire to do something.
The expression is constructed with Tener ganas + de + infinitive:
| Tengo ganas de estudiar esta mañana. | I seriously have a passion to study this morning. |
| Tienes ganas de jugar al tenis hoy. | You really want to play tenis today. |
| Tenemos ganas de bailar. | We really feel like dancing. |
| Tienen ganas de ir al hospital para visitar a su primo. | They really want to go to the hospital to visit their cousin. |
| Ustedes tienen ganas de asistir al drama. | You all really have a desire to attend this play. |
And of course, we use Tener to express age:
| Tengo veintiún años | I'm twenty-one (years old). |
| Tiene quince años | He's fifteen (years old). |
| Nosotros dos tenemos veinticinco años | We're both twenty five years old. |
Don't forget we must use the whole phrase - don't drop the word años.
Remember there is a SERIOUS difference between the word año and ano .