What is the conditional of tener in Spanish?

Tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían. Irregular stem tendr- (same as future) + conditional endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían). Tendría tiempo = I would have time.

What's the difference between tendría and tendré?

Tendré (future) = I will have (definite future). Tendría (conditional) = I would have (hypothetical, polite, or past probability). Tendré tiempo mañana = I'll have time tomorrow. Tendría tiempo si... = I'd have time if...

How do I say should in Spanish using tener?

Tendría que + infinitive. Tendrías que estudiar = You should study. More polite than deberías. Tendríamos que llamar = We should call. Common way to give gentle advice.

Can tendría express past probability?

Yes. Tendría veinte años entonces (he was probably twenty then), tendrían hambre cuando llegaron (they must have been hungry when they arrived). Parallel to future tener for present probability.

How can I master the conditional of tener?

Drill the tendr- stem (same as future) and pair it with conditional endings. Practice in hypothetical contexts (tendría si...), should contexts (tendrías que...), and past probability contexts (tendría veinte años). Parrot's videos surface these uses naturally.

Spanish grammar · Intermediate

Conditional of Tener: Tendría, Tendrías, Tendría, Conjugation and Use

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

The conditional of tener uses the irregular stem tendr-: tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían. Same stem as future, with conditional endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían).

Tendría tiempo si terminara temprano.

I would have time if I finished early.

What it is

The conditional of tener uses the irregular stem tendr-: tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían. The infinitive ten-er loses its e and inserts a d (same as the future stem), then conditional endings attach.

In Tendría tiempo si terminara temprano (I would have time if I finished early), tendría is the conditional yo / él / ella form of tener, expressing a hypothetical possession.

How to spot it

Look for tendr- + -ía endings: tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendrían. The d in the stem distinguishes the conditional from the regular *tenería.

Tendrías que estudiar más. — You would have to study more.
Tendríamos que esperar. — We would have to wait.
Tendrían más éxito. — They would be more successful.

Tendría que + infinitive (would have to / should) is one of the most common conditional uses. Very polite for giving advice.

Conditional of Tener Quick Reference

Conditional of tener, irregular stem tendr-

Person	Form	Translation
yo	tendría	I would have
tú	tendrías	you would have
él/ella/Ud.	tendría	he/she/it would have
nosotros	tendríamos	we would have
vosotros	tendríais	you all would have (Spain)
ellos/ellas/Uds.	tendrían	they would have

Common Conditional of Tener Examples in Spanish

Conditional of tener in real contexts:

Hypothetical Possession / Conditions

Tendría una casa más grande si pudiera.: I'd have a bigger house if I could.
Tendrías más amigos si salieras más.: You'd have more friends if you went out more.
Tendríamos suerte de ganar.: We'd be lucky to win.
Tendrían que pensarlo.: They would have to think about it.
Tendría sed después de correr.: He would be thirsty after running.

Most common use: hypothetical possessions and states (with si clauses).

Tendría Que + Infinitive (Would Have To / Should)

Tendrías que estudiar más.: You should study more.
Tendríamos que llamar primero.: We would have to call first.
Tendrías que disculparte.: You should apologize.
Tendría que ser cuidadoso.: He would have to be careful.
Tendrían que aceptar.: They would have to accept.

Tendría que + infinitive (should / would have to) is a very common way to give polite advice. More polite than deberías.

Past Probability (Conjecture)

Tendría unos veinte años entonces.: He must have been about twenty then.
Tendrían hambre cuando llegaron.: They must have been hungry when they arrived.
Tendría miedo de hablar.: She must have been afraid to speak.
Tendríamos suerte ese día.: We must have been lucky that day.
Tendrías razón.: You were probably right.

Conditional tener expresses past probability (must have been / probably had).

Reported Speech / Indirect

Dijo que tendría tiempo.: He said he would have time.
Pensé que tendrías hambre.: I thought you would be hungry.
Sabía que tendríamos que esperar.: I knew we would have to wait.
Prometieron que tendrían cuidado.: They promised they would be careful.
Esperaba que tendrías razón.: I hoped you would be right.

In reported past speech about a future event, the conditional replaces the future.

How to Use the Conditional of Tener

Irregular Stem + Conditional Endings

Use the irregular stem tendr- (same as future) and add conditional endings (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían).

tendr- + ía = tendría.

Irregular stem, conditional endings.

Tendr- + -ía endings. NOT *tenería.

Tendría Que = Should / Would Have To

Tendría que + infinitive is a very common polite way to give advice (should). More polite than deberías + infinitive (must / should).

Tendrías que estudiar más.

You should study more.

Tendría que + infinitive = polite should.

Past Probability Use

Conditional tener expresses past probability or conjecture: Tendría veinte años = He was probably twenty. Parallel to future tener for present probability.

Tendría unos cuarenta años.

He must have been about forty.

Conditional = past conjecture.

Same Stem as Future

Tendr- is the stem for both future and conditional. Future endings: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. Conditional endings: -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.

Future: tendré. Conditional: tendría.

Same stem, different endings.

Tendr- stem covers both tenses.

Common Mistakes with Conditional of Tener

Incorrect: Tenería tiempo. — I would have time.

Correct: Tendría tiempo. — I would have time.

Tener has an IRREGULAR conditional stem: tendr- (same as future). Form is tendría, not the regular *tenería.

Incorrect: Tendria que estudiar. — I should study.

Correct: Tendría que estudiar. — I should study.

All conditional tener forms carry an accent on the í: tendría, tendrías, tendríamos, tendrían. Without the accent, the word is misspelled.

Incorrect: Tendría que estudio. — I should study.