12 Common Spanish Expressions with TENER: Printable Presentation

Tener is a Spanish verb that means “to have” or “to possess”. In other words, it is used to express the things you or others have.

It can also be used to express possession of emotions such as tener miedo (to be afraid) or tener un gusto (to have a preference). To teach tener start by explaining its meaning with examples, such as:

Yo tengo un coche. (I have a car.)
Ellas tienen dos hermanos. (They have two brothers.)
Nosotros tenemos miedo de la tormenta. (We are afraid of the storm.)

Then, practice conjugations with subjects like yo, tu, él, ella and nosotros. Have them repeat the full conjugation of each subject: Yo tengo, Tú tienes, Él tiene, Ella tiene, Nosotros tenemos. Finally, give them some practice sentences to memorize that use the verb tener in different ways. For example:

Mariana tiene muy buen gusto.
Pedro y su hermana tienen un perro en casa.
Mis padres y yo tenemos muchas ideas para la fiesta.

But there are also other Spanish expressions with TENER that do not literally translate to “I have…”. Look at these examples and illustrations:

Spanish Expressions with TENER

1. Tengo hambre. – I’m hungry.
2. Tengo sed. – I’m thirsty.
3. Tengo frío/calor. – I’m cold/hot.
4. Tengo sueño. – I’m sleepy.
5. Tengo miedo. – I’m scared. / I’m afraid.
6. Tengo catarro / un resfriado. – I have a cold.
7. Tengo razón. – I’m right.
8. Tengo suerte. – I’m lucky.
9. Tengo cuidado. – I’m careful.
10. Tengo 4 años. – I ‘m 4 years old.
11. Tengo que limpiar. – I have to clean.
12. Tengo ganas de comer galletas. – I feel like eating cookies.

Spanish Lesson Plans and Spanish Class Activities for the Verb TENER

Here are some ready-made Spanish Lesson Plans for high school students and song class activities to help you this week:

Expressions with TENER Lesson Plan for Spanish 1 – By the end of this activity, students will have learned how to use basic expressions with tener. By spending an entire class period on these idiomatic expressions, students will remember that they are unusual and require special effort to memorize. In-class role-plays incorporating miming between pairs will make the exercise more memorable.
Verbs TENER and SER Lesson Plan for Spanish 1 – By the end of this activity, the students will have learned the conjugation of the verbs tener and ser and how to use them to express possession and descriptions, respectively.
Spanish Song: Tu Angelito by Chino y Nacho – Verbs SER and TENER – With this song, your students will practice Verbs SER and TENER or Verbos ser y tener by filling in the blanks digitally in the same document. This Spanish song cloze activity includes three versions, the video link, and a short artist bio. Choose the version that is most suitable for your student’s level.
Verb TENER and Body Parts Vocabulary Lesson Plan for Spanish 2 –
- Students can identify, understand and verbalize basic body parts.
- Students can describe different disabilities with simple sentences and when certain body parts hurt (e.g., tengo dolor de espalda).
- Students can write expressions signifying basic body parts and descriptions of common disabilities with simple sentences.
- Students can discuss whether certain remedies are appropriate for certain illnesses.
- Students can read dialogues about situations at the doctor’s office and understand the gist.
- Students can identify and understand symptoms and their remedies.
Tener que + Infinitive – Parts of the House and Household Chores Vocabulary – At the end of this activity, students will have reviewed and used specific house and chores vocabulary. Students will use their knowledge of the ‘Tener que+infinitivo’ expression to talk about household chores.
Tengo tu Love by Sie7e – Practice the Verb TENER and Comparisons – Use all the activities or pick only the ones suitable for your classes.
“This song (and the video) are so charming! I love that there are a variety of activities so that you could come back to this song multiple times for different pop-up grammar practices.” -Katelynn J.
Spanish Song: La Camisa Negra by Juanes – Present Tense and Verb TENER – This Spanish song cloze activity includes three versions, the video link, and a short artist bio. Choose the version that is most suitable for your student’s level.
Preterite IR SER TENER ESTAR PODER – City Vocabulary Lesson Plan for Spanish 2 – At the end of the lesson, the students will have learned and used the vocabulary related to the city. They will be able to give directions to a specific place and move from one point to another. In addition, they will have learned and used in context the verbs to go, to be, to have, to be and to be able in the past tense.
Vendo mi casa cantando by Abraham Sevilla Serrano – Rooms of the House and TENER – Use all activities or pick only the ones suitable for your classes.
- Cloze activity with word bank
- Cloze activity without word bank
- Rooms of the House
- Organize the Rooms
- Fill in the table
- Questions About the Song
- Selling a Home Flyer
Asignatura Pendiente by Ricky Martin: Song to Practice TENER in the Present – Use all activities or pick only the ones suitable for your classes.
- Opening Activity
- Cloze activity with word bank
- Cloze activity without word bank
- Vocabulary
- Verb TENER Conjugation
- Personal Questions With TENER
- Expressions With TENER
- Answering Questions With TENER
- Comprehension Questions in Spanish
- Comprehension Questions in English
Verb TENER Printable Poster and Handout – The full color poster and black/white handout version include the verb conjugation with examples that use school supplies vocabulary. You will get all the files for the printable poster in letter, legal and tabloid sizes, plus the letter size handout.