tengo que
/tenɡo ke/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "I have to" is tengo que.
tengo que is used to express a necessity or an obligation to perform a certain action.
Which one should you use?
While tengo que expresses a practical necessity or obligation, the related form debo (I must / I ought to) often implies a moral or internal duty.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase tengo que must be followed by an infinitive verb, which is the unconjugated form of a verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo ke/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, people avoid saying tengo que when asking for favors to avoid sounding demanding. They instead use the conditional form tendría que to soften the obligation.
- The word que in tengo que actually descends from the Latin word quid, which means 'what'.
- In certain contexts, tengo que is used to express a strong desire or an irresistible urge, rather than a chore, such as saying tengo que ver esa película to mean 'I absolutely must see that movie'.
Examples in context
- Me tengo que bañar.I have to take a shower.Tatoeba #1253703 by hayastan, translation #566719 by mattmittelman
- Tengo que ver esto.I have to see this.Tatoeba #2486106 by Shishir, translation #2436368 by Hybrid
- Yo tengo que comer.I have to eat.Tatoeba #4603137 by Francisco_M, translation #2650958 by CK
- Tengo que entregar el informe mañana.I have to submit the report tomorrow.
- Debo preparar la presentación para mañana.I have to prepare the presentation for tomorrow.
- Tengo que recoger a mi hermana del colegio.I have to pick up my sister from school.
- Me toca comprar los boletos para el concierto.I have to buy the tickets for the concert.
- Tengo que recoger a mi hijo en el colegio.I have to pick up my son from school.
- Tengo que hacer la tarea urgente.I have to do the homework urgently.
- 664 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are at a coffee shop, preparing to leave.
- DanielTengo que irme ahora.I have to go now.
- Elena¿Tienes que trabajar tanto?Do you have to work so much?
- DanielSí, tengo que terminar un informe.Yes, I have to finish a report.
- ElenaEstá bien, Daniel, nos vemos luego.Alright, Daniel, see you later.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
