tener
/teˈneɾ/
The Spanish verb for 'have' is tener.
tener is primarily used to express possession. However, it is also used in many common Spanish expressions for physical sensations where English would use the verb 'to be', such as tener hambre (to be hungry) or tener sed (to be thirsty).
Meaning: to possess (verb)
Which one should you use?
While tener is used to express possession, do not confuse it with haber, which is used as an auxiliary verb to form perfect tenses, such as in 'I have eaten'. For a stronger sense of ownership or a more formal tone, you might use poseer. In legal or administrative contexts, the expression tener en posesión is used to explicitly emphasize possession.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present indicative tense, the first-person singular is tengo (I have), the second-person singular informal is tienes (you have) and the third-person singular is tiene (he/she/it has or you formal have).
How do you pronounce it?
/teˈneɾ/
Did you know?
- The past tense forms of tener that begin with 'tuv-' are actually a linguistic hybrid between tener and the auxiliary verb haber.
- The word tener shares a common ancient root with the English word 'tenacious' and 'tenant'.
- Using tener to describe age, such as tengo veinte años, treats years of life as objects that a person collects and possesses.
Examples in context
- Puedes tener el mío.You can have mine.This sentence shows how to express permission using tener.Tatoeba #1125818 by cueyayotl, translation #1125436 by Scott
- Voy a tener un bebé.I'm going to have a baby.This sentence demonstrates using tener to express future pregnancy.Tatoeba #1234608 by marcelostockle, translation #250152 by CK
- No puedes tener esto.You can't have this.This sentence shows a negative restriction using tener.Tatoeba #2741100 by teskmon, translation #1951818 by CK
- Tengo un libroI have a book
- Ella posee un gran conocimientoShe possesses great knowledge
- Él tiene los documentos en su posesiónHe has the documents in his possession
- Tengo un perroI have a dog
- Tiene un carroHe has a car
- Tenemos acceso a toda la informaciónWe have access to all the information
- Tengo tres hermanosI have three brothers
- Ella posee un talento inmensoShe possesses immense talent
- Él tiene las calificaciones necesariasHe has the necessary qualifications
- Tienen una casa hermosaThey have a beautiful house
- ¿Tienes acceso a internet?Do you have access to the internet?
- 479 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are talking about their future plans.
- Javier¿Quieres tener un perro?Do you want to have a dog?
- ElenaSí, me gustaría tener uno.Yes, I would like to have one.
- JavierYo también quiero tener uno.I also want to have one.
- ElenaSerá divertido tener un compañero.It will be fun to have a companion.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “have” translations and entries tener, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tener, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
