tenía
/tenia/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I had" is translated into Spanish as tenía.
tenía is used to describe possession or a state in the past. It is also used to express past obligations when followed by an infinitive, in the phrase tenía que (I had to).
Which one should you use?
While tenía describes a continuous state or background information in the past, the form tuve is used for a specific, completed event or a sudden change in state.
How does it change in a sentence?
tenía is the imperfect tense, which is used for habitual actions or ongoing states in the past without a defined beginning or end. It can also be translated as "I used to have". In this tense, the form tenía is identical for the first person (I) and the third person singular (he/she/it/you formal).
How do you pronounce it?
/tenia/
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'to be' for age, Spanish speakers use tener to express age. To say 'I was ten years old', you use tenía diez años, literally meaning 'I had ten years'.
- Spanish uses tener for many physical sensations that English describes as feelings. For example, tenía hambre means 'I was hungry' and tenía frío means 'I was cold'.
- The verb tener is a cognitive relative of the English word 'tenure'. Both stem from the Latin 'tenere', meaning to hold or keep.
Examples in context
- No tenía ni idea.I had no clue.This sentence uses tenía to express having no idea.Tatoeba #2193334 by Shishir, translation #2721785 by Hybrid
- Tenía el pelo gris.I had gray hair.This sentence uses tenía to describe a physical state or characteristic.Tatoeba #482552 by hayastan, translation #5187337 by AlanF_US
- Tenía que hacer algo.I had to do something.This sentence uses tenía to express a past obligation.Tatoeba #2210240 by marcelostockle, translation #1887339 by CK
- Tuve una excelente experiencia en el restaurante de alta cocina.I had an excellent experience at the fine-dining restaurant.
- Tuve la oportunidad de visitar la famosa catedral de la ciudad.I had the opportunity to visit the famous cathedral of the city.
- Poseí una gran cantidad de libros en mi biblioteca personal.I had a large number of books in my personal library.
- Tuve una increíble fiesta en mi casa el fin de semana pasado.I had an amazing party at my house last weekend.
- 196 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about their childhood homes.
- SofíaYo tenía un jardín muy grande.I had a very large garden.
- Daniel¿De verdad? Yo tenía uno pequeño.Really? I had a small one.
- SofíaTu casa era más acogedora.Your house was cozier.
- DanielEs cierto, me gustaba mucho.That's true, I liked it a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
