teniendo
/tenjendo/from spelling rules
teniendo is the Spanish translation for the English word "having".
teniendo is used to describe the act of possessing something or experiencing a particular state.
Which one should you use?
In English, "having" is often used for a wide variety of situations, but you should be careful with its application in Spanish. Do not use teniendo to mean "consuming" (such as having a meal) or "undergoing" (such as having an operation).
How does it change in a sentence?
teniendo is the gerund, also known as the present participle, of the verb tener. While teniendo represents the continuous "having" form, the conjugated forms of tener are used for simple possession: Yo tengo (I have), Él/Ella/Usted tiene (He/She/You have), Nosotros/Nosotras tenemos (We have), Vosotros/Vosotras tenéis (You all have) and Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tienen (They/You all have).
How do you pronounce it?
/tenjendo/
Did you know?
- The word teniendo comes from tener, which is a linguistic relative of the English word 'tenure'. Both describe the act of holding or possessing a position or property.
- Spanish uses two different verbs for 'have', employing tener for possession and haber as the auxiliary verb for compound tenses like 'I have eaten'.
- The verb tener behaves differently than 'have' when expressing age. A Spanish speaker does not 'be' 20 years old, but is 'having' those years, using tengo rather than soy.
Examples in context
- ¿Estás teniendo un buen día?Are you having a good day?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is experiencing a good day.Tatoeba #9667519 by Shishir, translation #6971846 by Eccles17
- Ella está teniendo un mal día.She's having a bad day.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is experiencing a bad day.Tatoeba #13389022 by Lernema, translation #13388545 by glossboss
- Tom estaba teniendo un mal día.Tom was having a bad day.Tatoeba #2744041 by Shishir, translation #2644769 by CK
- Tengo una reunión importante.I have an important meeting.
- Él posee una gran fortuna.He has a great fortune.
- Tengo hambre.I'm hungry.
- Llevo tres años trabajando aquí.I’ve been working here for three years.
- 36 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are talking about their current work projects.
- JavierEstoy teniendo muchos problemas con este informe.I am having many problems with this report.
- Sofía¿Necesitas ayuda con algo, Javier?Do you need help with something, Javier?
- JavierSí, sigo teniendo dudas sobre los datos.Yes, I keep having doubts about the data.
- SofíaYo puedo revisarlo contigo ahora mismo.I can review it with you right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
