tener
/teˈneɾ/
To have in Spanish is tener.
The verb tener means to possess. You can also use it to express obligation. By placing the preposition que after a conjugated form of tener, you create the phrase tener que, which means "to have to" do something.
Meaning: to possess (verb)
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, Spanish uses tener to express age. For example, instead of saying "I am twenty years old," you would say tengo veinte años (literally, "I have twenty years").
How does it change in a sentence?
tener is an irregular verb. In the present indicative, the first-person singular is tengo (I have), the second-person singular is tienes (you have, informal) and the third-person singular is tiene (he/she/it has or you have, formal).
How do you pronounce it?
/teˈneɾ/
Did you know?
- Because the root of tener comes from the Proto-Indo-European 'to stretch', it shares a distant evolutionary connection to English words like 'tend' or 'tension'.
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, tener is used in the phrase tener razón to mean 'to be right'. Literally, you are saying you 'have reason'.
- While 'to have' is a concept of possession, many Spanish-speaking cultures use tener to express physiological sensations like 'to have hunger' (tener hambre) or 'to have thirst' (tener sed).
Examples in context
- Puedes tener el mío.You can have mine.Tatoeba #1125818 by cueyayotl, translation #1125436 by Scott
- Voy a tener un bebé.I'm going to have a baby.Tatoeba #1234608 by marcelostockle, translation #250152 by CK
- No puedes tener esto.You can't have this.Tatoeba #2741100 by teskmon, translation #1951818 by CK
- Tengo un coche.I have a car.
- Tiene una casa bonita.He/She has a beautiful house.
- Tenemos una reunión hoy.We have a meeting today.
- Tengo un problema.I have a problem.
- Tienes suerte.You are lucky.
- Tenéis buenos amigos.You all have good friends.
- Tengo un perro.I have a dog.
- Tenemos una fiesta mañana.We have a party tomorrow.
- 479 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are talking about their pets.
- JavierElena, ¿tienes un perro?Elena, do you have a dog?
- ElenaNo, pero quiero tener un gato.No, but I want to have a cat.
- JavierYo tengo dos gatos en casa.I have two cats at home.
- Elena¡Qué bien! Me gustan mucho los gatos.That's great! I like cats a lot.
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.
