tengo dos gatos
/tenɡo dos ɡatos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I have two cats" is translated into Spanish as tengo dos gatos.
This phrase is used to express that the speaker owns or keeps two cats. In informal conversation, you might include the pronoun yo at the beginning of the sentence, as in Yo tengo dos gatos, to add emphasis.
What does it mean word for word?
The word tengo is the first-person singular conjugation of the verb tener, which means "I have".
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the subject pronoun yo (I) is often omitted because the verb ending -go in tengo already indicates that the subject is "I". Gender agreement is important when referring to the cats: if both cats are female, you must use the feminine tengo dos gatas. If you have one male cat and one female cat, you use the masculine gato and the feminine gata, as in tengo un gato y una gata.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo dos ɡatos/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, gato can also refer to a car jack used to lift a vehicle. A mechanic might use the same word for a tool as you do for your pets.
- While English speakers use 'have' to show ownership, Spanish speakers often use tener to express both possession and physical sensations, such as 'tengo hambre' for 'I am hungry'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, calling someone a gato can be a slang term for a servant or a lackey, depending on the region.
Examples in context
- Tengo dos gatos: un gato negro y una gata gris.I have two cats: a black male cat and a grey female cat.This example shows how to specify the gender and color of the cats using the form tengo dos gatos.Tatoeba #12907943 by ecorralest101, translation #12907946 by canonrebel
- Tengo dos gatos.I have two cats.This is a simple statement of the form tengo dos gatos.Tatoeba #2421408 by hayastan, translation #2412739 by fjrjdk
- En mi casa, tengo dos gatos.In my house, I have two cats.
- Quisiera informarles que poseo dos gatos.I would like to inform you that I have two cats.
- Estoy muy feliz porque tengo dos gatos.I'm very happy because I have two cats.
- Yo tengo dos gatos y tú tienes un perro.I have two cats, and you have a dog.
- Tengo dos gatos en mi casa.I have two cats in my house.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their pets at a cafe.
- Mateo¿Tienes mascotas en casa?Do you have pets at home?
- ElenaSí, tengo dos gatos.Yes, I have two cats.
- Mateo¡Qué bueno! Yo también tengo dos gatos.That's great! I also have two cats.
- Elena¡Qué coincidencia, Mateo!What a coincidence, Mateo!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
