For the most part, Spanish verbs are regular, meaning that as long as you know the conjugation formula, you should be good to go. However, life would be too easy if that was the case for all verbs, which is why there’s a group of them called irregular verbs - and tener is one of those. Unfortunately, with irregular verbs like TENER, you will need to learn the conjugation by heart, as otherwise, it will be hard for you to use the correct form.
Fortunately for you, however, we have prepared comprehensive charts that cover all forms of tener, regardless of what tense you have in mind. Whether you’re looking for material to help you study, or are on the hunt for the perfect resource for your students, we’ve got you covered with our conjugation of tener guide.When to Use Tener
The main situation in which you will be using tener is to express possession or necessity. If you want to say that you have something or that you need to do something, then tener will be your verb of choice. It’s the same in English - we use “to have”, as that’s its English equivalent, to express the fact that we possess something. It’s also often used to talk about someone’s physical characteristics or age.
- Tengo pelo negro. - I have black hair.
- Tengo ojos azules. - I have blue eyes.
- Tengo 21 años. - I am 21 years old.
However, it can also be used to express feelings — if you want to say you’re feeling thirsty, hungry, cold, sleepy, scared, etc., the verb you would use is tener. Some examples of Spanish tener expressions with translation include:
- Tener hambre. - Feeling hungry (to be hungry).
- Tener sed. - Feeling sad.
- Tener frio. - Feeling cold.
- Tener miedo. - Feeling scared.
- Tener sueño. - Feeling sleepy.
- Tener suerte. - Feeling lucky.
![Woman Drinking Water woman drinking water](https://www.speakinglatino.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/woman-drinking-water.jpg)
Indicative Tenses of Tener With Examples
Indicative tenses are some of the first things a person learning Spanish will be introduced to, as you can’t have a conversation without first learning how to properly conjugate verbs - or maybe we should say that you can; however, the other person might have trouble understanding exactly what you mean.
The indicative tenses are tenses that we use for statements - describe facts, characteristics, qualities, etc., contrary to subjunctive tenses, which we will talk about later.
Indicative Tener in Simple Tenses
PRONOUN | PRESENT | PRETERITE | IMPERFECT | FUTURE | CONDITIONAL |
Yo | tengo | tuve | tenía | tendré | tendría |
Tú | tienes | tuviste | tenías | tendrás | tendrías |
Él/Ella/Ud | tiene | tuvo | tenía | tendrá | tendría |
Nosotros | tenemos | tuvimos | teníamos | tendremos | tendríamos |
Vosotros | tenéis | tuvisteis | teníais | tendréis | tendríais |
Ellos/Ellas/Uds | tienen | tuvieron | tenían | tendrán | tendrían |
Indicative Tener Present Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tengo | I have |
Tú | tienes | You have (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tiene | He / She has; You have (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tenemos | We have |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tenéis | You have (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tienen | They / You have (plural, informal) |
Examples of Indicative Tener Present Conjugation:
- No sé qué te dijo Anna, pero yo no tengo tu teléfono. - I don’t know what Anna told you, but I don’t have your phone.
- Ella no tiene dinero. - She doesn’t have money.
Indicative Tener Preterite Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tuve | I had |
Tú | tuviste | You had (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tuvo | He / She / You had (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tuvimos | We had |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tuvisteis | You had (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tuvieron | They / You had (plural, informal) |
Examples of Indicative Tener Past Tense (Preterite) Conjugation
- ¿Tuviste suficiente tiempo para completar el proyecto? - Did you have enough time to finish the project?
- Usted tuvo una reunión este fin de semana, ¿no? - You had a meeting this week, right?
![Meeting hand in a meeting](https://www.speakinglatino.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/hand-in-a-meeting.jpg)
Indicative Tener Imperfect Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tenía | I used to have |
Tú | tenías | You used to have (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tenía | He / She / You used to have (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | teníamos | We used to have |
Vosotros / Vosotras | teníais | You used to have (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tenían | They / You used to have (plural, informal) |
Examples of Indicative Tener Imperfect Conjugation:
- Yo tenía una manta favorita cuando era pequeño, pero ahora no sé dónde está. - I used to have a favorite blanket when I was little, but I don’t know where it is now.
- Ellos no tenían trabajo, pero ahora trabajan como camareros. - They used to not have a job, but now they work as waiters.
Indicative Tener Present Continuous Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | estoy teniendo | I am having |
Tú | estás teniendo | You are having (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | está teniendo | He / She is having; You are having (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | estamos teniendo | We are having |
Vosotros / Vosotras | estáis teniendo | You are having (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | están teniendo | They / You are having (plural, informal) |
Examples of Indicative Tener Present Continuous Conjugation:
- Estoy teniendo mi fiesta de cumpleaños por la tarde. - I am having my birthday party in the evening.
- Ella está teniendo algunos problemas con los documentos, pero esperamos que se resuelvan pronto. - She’s having some issues with the documents but we are hoping they will be resolved soon.
Indicative Tener Future Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tendré | I will have |
Tú | tendrás | You will have (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tendrá | He / She / You will have (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tendremos | We will have |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tendréis | You will have (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tendrán | They / You will have (plural, informal) |
Examples of Indicative Tener Future Conjugation:
- Si quieres superar el examen, tendrás que estudiar mucho. - If you want to pass the exam, you will have to study a lot.
- Mis hijos tendrán vacaciones el próximo mes, así que tengo que buscar una niñera para ellos. - My children will have holidays next month, so I need to look for a babysitter for them.
Indicative Tener Conditional Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tendría | I would have |
Tú | tendrías | You would have (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tendría | He / She / You would have (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tendríamos | We would have |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tendríais | You would have (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tendrían | They / You would have (plural, informal) |
Examples of Indicative Tener Conditional Conjugation:
- Yo tendría más tiempo libre si no trabajara tanto. - I would have more free time if I didn’t work so much.
- Ella dijo que si se mudara al campo, tendría un gato. - She said if she moved to the countryside, she would have a cat.
![Orange Cat orange cat](https://www.speakinglatino.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/orange-cat.jpg)
The Conjugation of Tener Indicative in Compound Tenses
PRONOUN | PRESENT PERFECT | PAST PERFECT (PLUPERFECT) | FUTURE PERFECT | CONDITIONAL PERFECT |
Yo | he tenido | había tenido | habré tenido | habría tenido |
Tú | has tenido | habías tenido | habrás tenido | habrías tenido |
Él / Ella / Usted | ha tenido | había tenido | habrá tenido | habría tenido |
Nosotros / Nosotras | hemos tenido | habíamos tenido | habremos tenido | habríamos tenido |
Vosotros / Vosotras | habéis tenido | habíais tenido | habréis tenido | habríais tenido |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | han tenido | habían tenido | habrán tenido | habrían tenido |
Examples of Indicative Tener Compound Tenses:
- Present Perfect: Tú has tenido un día muy ocupado. - You have had a very busy day.
- Past Perfect: Yo había tenido un sueño extraño antes de despertarme. - I had a weird dream before I woke up.
- Future Perfect: Yo habré tenido una respuesta para entonces. - I will have had an answer by then.
- Conditional Perfect: Vosotras habríais tenido más dinero si no lo hubierais gastado todo cuando estabais en Londres. - You all would have had more money if you hadn’t spent it all when you were in London.
Subjunctive Tenses of Tener with Examples
The subjunctive tenses are the opposite of indicative tenses. While indicative mood talks about things that can be considered facts, subjunctive tenses focus on the “what ifs”. It expresses hopes, dreams, wishes, and more.
Subjunctive Tener in Simple Tenses
PRONOUN | PRESENT | IMPERFECT | FUTURE |
Yo | tenga | tuviera | tuviere |
Tú | tengas | tuvieras | tuvieres |
Él / Ella / Usted | tenga | tuviera | tuviere |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tengamos | tuviéramos | tuviéremos |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tengáis | tuvierais | tuviereis |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tengan | tuvieran | tuvieren |
Subjunctive Tener Present Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tenga | I have |
Tú | tengas | You have (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tenga | He / She has; You have (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tengamos | We have |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tengáis | You have (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tengan | They / You have (plural, informal) |
Examples of Subjunctive Tener Present Conjugation:
- Es posible que ellos tengan que quedarse hasta tarde para terminar el proyecto. - It’s possible that they have to stay late to finish the project.
- Es importante que tú tengas todos los documentos listos para la reunión. - It’s important that you have all the documents ready for the meeting.
![Meeting Documents documents ready for the meeting](https://www.speakinglatino.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/meeting-documents.jpg)
Subjunctive Tener Imperfect Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tuviera | I had |
Tú | tuvieras | You had (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tuviera | He / She / You had (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tuviéramos | We had |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tuvierais | You had (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tuvieran | They / You had (plural, informal) |
Examples of Subjunctive Tener Imperfect Conjugation:
- Si yo tuviera más tiempo, estudiaría otro idioma. - If I had more time I would study another language.
- Si ella tuviera más dinero, se mudaría al otro lado del mundo. - If she had more time, she would move to the other side of the world.
Subjunctive Tener Future Conjugation Chart
PRONOUN | SPANISH | ENGLISH |
Yo | tuviere | I will have |
Tú | tuvieres | You will have (informal) |
Él / Ella / Usted | tuviere | He / She / You will have (formal) |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tuviéremos | We will have |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tuviereis | You will have (plural, informal) |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tuvieren | They / You will have (plural, informal) |
Examples of Subjunctive Tener Future Conjugation:
- Si tú tuvieres tiempo mañana, podríamos ir al cine. - If you will have time tomorrow, we could go to the cinema.
- Ojalá que tuvieres la oportunidad de estudiar en el extranjero algún día. - Hopefully you will have the opportunity to study abroad some day.
Subjunctive Tener in Compound Tenses
PRONOUN | PRESENT PERFECT | PAST PERFECT (PLUPERFECT) | FUTURE PERFECT |
Yo | haya tenido | hubiera tenido | hubiere tenido |
Tú | hayas tenido | hubieras tenido | hubieres tenido |
Él / Ella / Usted | haya tenido | hubiera tenido | hubiere tenido |
Nosotros / Nosotras | hayamos tenido | hubiéramos tenido | hubiéremos tenido |
Vosotros / Vosotras | hayáis tenido | hubierais tenido | hubiereis tenido |
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | hayan tenido | hubieran tenido | hubieren tenido |
Examples of Subjunctive Tener Compound Tenses:
- Present Perfect: Espero que ella haya tenido suficiente tiempo para estudiar para el examen. - I hope she has had enough time to study for the exam.
- Past Perfect: Dudaba que él hubiera tenido la experiencia necesaria para el trabajo. - I doubted that he had had the necessary experience for the job.
- Future Perfect: Esperamos que para la próxima reunión, ellos ya hubieren tenido la oportunidad de revisar el informe. - We hope that by the next meeting, they will have already had the opportunity to review the report.
Imperative Tenses of Tener
PRONOUN | AFFIRMATIVE | NEGATIVE |
Tú | ten | no tengas |
Usted | tenga | no tenga |
Nosotros / Nosotras | tengamos | no tengamos |
Vosotros / Vosotras | tened | no tengáis |
Ustedes | tengan | no tengan |
Examples of Imperative Tenses Tener Conjugation:
- Affirmative: Ten paciencia, todo saldrá bien. - Have patience, everything will be fine.
- Negative: No tengan prisa, todavía hay tiempo para terminar el proyecto. - Don't be in a hurry, there's still time to finish the project.
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