tenido
/tenido/from spelling rules
The English word "had" is translated to Spanish as tenido.
The word tenido is the past participle of the verb tener (to have or to hold). It is used to indicate possession or experiences within perfect tenses.
Which one should you use?
While tenido is the past participle of tener, it is not used to express "had" in the sense of an obligation (such as "I had to"). To express that someone was required to do something, you would use tenido que followed by an infinitive.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used in perfect tenses, tenido remains invariable. However, if tenido is used as an adjective, it must agree in gender and number with the object it describes.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenido/
Did you know?
- The verb tener is a cognate of the English word 'tenure', which refers to the act of holding a position or land.
- While English uses 'had' for both 'I had a dog' and 'I had a coffee', Spanish distinguishes between 'owning' the dog and 'consuming' the coffee by using entirely different verbs.
- The word tenido can be part of the phrase tenido por, which is a formal way to say that someone is 'considered' or 'regarded' as something.
Examples in context
- Yo lo he tenido.I have had it.This sentence is useful for showing the use of tenido in a perfect tense.Tatoeba #4593937 by Francisco_M, translation #31570 by CK
- No he tenido tiempo.I haven't had time.This sentence is useful for showing how to express having had something like time.Tatoeba #6685060 by UsuarioX, translation #2359848 by CK
- He tenido una visión.I had a vision.This sentence is useful for expressing that one had a vision.Tatoeba #4627165 by Shishir, translation #1887332 by CK
- Tenía una casa muy grande en la playa.I had a very big house at the beach.
- Había visitado aquel país muchas veces antes de mudarme.I had visited that country many times before moving.
- Tuve una fiesta increíble el fin de semana pasado.I had an amazing party last weekend.
- Había tenido problemas de salud antes de cambiar mi estilo de vida.I had had health issues before changing my lifestyle.
- Tuvo un accidente automovilístico la semana pasada.He/she had a car accident last week.
- Habías tenido ese libro en tu posesión por mucho tiempo.You had had that book in your possession for a long time.
- 242 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking about their week.
- ElenaHe tenido mucho trabajo esta semana.I have had a lot of work this week.
- Alejandro¿Y has tenido tiempo de descansar?And have you had time to rest?
- ElenaNo, no he tenido ni un momento.No, I haven't had a single moment.
- AlejandroSiento que hayas tenido una semana tan difícil.I'm sorry that you have had such a difficult week.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
