Tener (to have) in Spanish

Overview

The verb tener means "to have" and is one of the most versatile verbs in Spanish. At the A1 level, you will use it not only for possession but also for a wide range of idiomatic expressions that describe physical sensations, age, and obligations. Where English says "I am hungry" or "I am 25 years old," Spanish uses tener: Tengo hambre, Tengo 25 años.

Tener is irregular in the present tense, with a stem change in most forms and a unique first-person singular (tengo). Because it appears in so many everyday expressions, memorizing its conjugation and its idioms early on will greatly expand what you can say in Spanish.

How It Works

Present tense conjugation

Subject	Form	Example
yo	tengo	Tengo dos gatos. (I have two cats.)
tú	tienes	¿Tienes tiempo? (Do you have time?)
él / ella / usted	tiene	Tiene razón. (He/She is right.)
nosotros/as	tenemos	Tenemos una casa grande. (We have a big house.)
vosotros/as	tenéis	¿Tenéis hambre? (Are you all hungry?)
ellos / ellas / ustedes	tienen	Tienen tres hijos. (They have three children.)

Note the e → ie stem change in tienes, tiene, and tienen, plus the irregular tengo.

Idiomatic expressions with tener

These expressions use tener where English uses "to be":

Spanish	English	Literal meaning
tener hambre	to be hungry	to have hunger
tener sed	to be thirsty	to have thirst
tener frío	to be cold	to have cold
tener calor	to be hot	to have heat
tener sueño	to be sleepy	to have sleepiness
tener miedo	to be afraid	to have fear
tener razón	to be right	to have reason
tener prisa	to be in a hurry	to have haste
tener ... años	to be ... years old	to have ... years
tener suerte	to be lucky	to have luck
tener cuidado	to be careful	to have care

Tener que + infinitive (obligation)

Tener que followed by an infinitive expresses obligation, similar to "have to" or "must":

• Tengo que estudiar. (I have to study.)
• Tienes que ir al médico. (You have to go to the doctor.)
• Tenemos que hablar. (We need to talk.)

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Tengo hambre.	I'm hungry.	Idiomatic: tener + noun
¿Cuántos años tienes?	How old are you?	Age uses tener
Tenemos que irnos.	We have to go.	Obligation
Tienen razón.	They are right.	Idiomatic expression
Tengo mucho frío.	I'm very cold.	Uses mucho, not muy
¿Tienes hermanos?	Do you have siblings?	Possession
Tiene miedo de los perros.	He/She is afraid of dogs.	Fear expression
Tengo sueño, quiero dormir.	I'm sleepy, I want to sleep.	Physical state
No tenemos tiempo.	We don't have time.	Negation
Tenéis que estudiar más.	You all have to study more.	Obligation

Common Mistakes

Using "ser/estar" for age

• Wrong: Soy veinticinco años. or Estoy 25 años.
• Right: Tengo veinticinco años.
• Why: Spanish expresses age with tener (literally "I have 25 years"), not with "to be."

Using "muy" instead of "mucho" with tener expressions

• Wrong: Tengo muy hambre.
• Right: Tengo mucha hambre.
• Why: Because hambre, frío, calor, etc. are nouns (not adjectives), you modify them with mucho/mucha, not muy.

Forgetting "que" in the obligation structure

• Wrong: Tengo estudiar.
• Right: Tengo que estudiar.
• Why: The obligation construction requires que between tener and the infinitive. Without it, the sentence is incomplete.

Wrong stem in conjugation

• Wrong: Yo teno un perro.
• Right: Yo tengo un perro.
• Why: The first person singular is the irregular form tengo, not a regular derivation from the stem.

Practice Tips

• Express your physical states. Throughout the day, say how you feel using tener: Tengo hambre, tengo frío, tengo sueño. This builds the habit of using tener instead of "to be."
• Ask people's ages. Practice the question ¿Cuántos años tienes? and answer with your own age and the ages of family members.
• Make a daily to-do list with tener que. Write three things you have to do: Tengo que trabajar, tengo que cocinar, tengo que limpiar.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Subject Pronouns
• Next steps: Hay (there is/are)
• Next steps: Present Perfect