- •Ser & estar/ to be
- •Idiomatic expressions
- •Irregular/ irregular
- •Irregular conditional forms
- •Past tense
- •Prefixes des-, in-, and re-
- •Disminutivo/ diminutive
- •Conocer & Saber/ to know
- •Gerundio/ gerund
- •Verbos irregulares / Irregular Verbs
- •Reflexivo/ reflexive
- •Preposiciones/ prepositions
- •Dif. Between pedir & preguntar
- •Hay / there is (are)
- •Imperfecto/ imperfect tense
- •Verbos irregulares/ irregular verbs
- •Subjuntivo/ subjunctive
- •Voz pasiva/ passive voice
- •Hacer/ to do, make
- •To have
- •2. The simplest way of expressing possession is by using tener/ to have.
- •3. In Spanish, tener is used for indicating age. On the other hand, in English the verb to be is used for telling age.
- •Gustar / to like
- •4. Other verbs in the same category are following:
To have
Tener is equivalent to the verb to have or to possess. It follows the pattern of e:ie stem-changing verbs, with the exception of yo/ I, which ends in -go.
Pronoun |
Present |
Past |
Future |
Conditional |
yo/ I |
tengo |
tuve |
tendré |
tendría |
tú/ you |
tienes |
tuviste |
tendrás |
tendrías |
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you |
tiene |
tuvo |
tendrá |
tendría |
nos./ we |
tenemos |
tuvimos |
tendremos |
tendríamos |
vos./you |
teneis |
tuvisteis |
tendréis |
tendríais |
ellos, Uds./ they, you |
tienen |
tuvieron |
tendrán |
tendrían |
1. Tener + que
This expression is equivalent to the English expression to have to (do something).
EXAMPLES
Tengo que repetir cada ejemplo./ I have to repeat each example.
Tuvimos que convencer a los inversionistas./ We had to convince the investors.
NOTE: Tener que is followed by an infinitive.
2. The simplest way of expressing possession is by using tener/ to have.
EXAMPLES
Mi jefe tiene mucha experiencia./ My boss has a lot of experience.
Tuvimos muchos fondos para invertir./ We had a lot of funds to invest.
3. In Spanish, tener is used for indicating age. On the other hand, in English the verb to be is used for telling age.
EXAMPLES
Tengo 23 años./ I am 23 years old.
Mi abuela tenía 88 años cuando falleció./ My grand-mother was 88 years old when she passed away.
4. Tener + noun
This expression is used for describing states, but in English to be is commonly used.
a. Tener calor/ to be hot
Tengo mucho calor./ I am very hot.
b. Tener éxito/ to be successful
Los productos importados tuvieron mucho éxito./ Imported goods were successful.
c. Tener frío/ to be cold
Tuvimos mucho frío en las montañas./ We were very cold in the mountains.
d. Tener celos/ to be jealous
Mi novio tiene celos de mi./ My boyfriend is jealous of me.
e. Tener cuidado/ to be careful
Ten cuidado por las noches./ Be careful at night.
f. Tener hambre/ to be hungry
Tengo tanta hambre que me comería un caballo./ I am so hungry that I could eat a horse.
g. Tener la culpa/ to be at fault
Yo tengo la culpa./ I am at fault.
h. Tener miedo/ to be afraid, scared
Tengo miedo de ir al dentista./ I am scared of going to the dentist.
i. Tener paciencia/ to be patient
Mi hermano tiene mucha paciencia./ My brother is very patient.
j. Tener presente/ to keep in mind
Ten presente el consejo de mamá./ Keep in mind mother's advice.
k. Tener prisa/ to be in a hurry
Apúrense que tengo mucha prisa./ Hurry up, I am in a big hurry.
l. Tener razón/ to be right, correct
Tiene razón./ You're right.
m. Tener sed/ to be thirsty
Tengo mucha sed./ I am very thristy.
n. Tener sueño/ to be sleepy
El bebé tiene sueño./ The baby is sleepy.
o. Tener suerte/ to be lucky
Tienes mucha suerte./ You are very lucky.
p. Tener vergüenza/ to be ashamed
Tengo vergüenza de pedir cosas prestadas./ I am ashamed of borrowing things.
More expressions:
1. Tener que ver con/ to have to do with
No tengo nada que ver con tus problemas./ I have nothing to do with your problems.
2. Tener catarro, resfrío/ to have a cold
Tengo un resfrío terrible./ I have a terrible cold.
3. Tener derecho/ to have the right
Tiene derecho a un abogado./ You have the right to an attorney.
4. Tener en cuenta/ to take into account
Voy a tener en cuenta lo que me dijiste./ I will take into account what you told me.
5. Tener lugar/ to take place, to have space
El concierto va a tener lugar en La Paz./ The concert is going to take place in La Paz.
Tengo lugar para ti en mi auto./ I have space for you in my car.
6. Tener ganas de (+ infinitive)/ to feel like
Tengo ganas de comer helado./ I feel like eating ice-cream.