Spanish grammar · Beginner
Tener Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Tener means to have in Spanish, used for possession, family, age, and dozens of idioms (tener hambre, tener miedo). Highly irregular across present, preterite, and future.
Tengo dos hermanas.
I have two sisters.
What it is
Tener means to have, possession, family, characteristics, age. Irregular in the present (tengo, tienes, tiene), preterite (tuve), and future (tendré). It also anchors dozens of idioms (tener hambre, tener miedo, tener años) and the obligation construction tener que.
In Tengo dos hermanas (I have two sisters), tengo is the yo form of tener. The verb covers basic possession. The same verb handles age (Tengo treinta años), states (Tengo hambre), and obligation (Tengo que estudiar).
How to spot it
Listen for teng- (yo form), tien- (singular subjects with e→ie stem change), or tenemos / tenéis / tienen for plural. Tener idioms drop the article (Tengo hambre, not Tengo una hambre).
- Tengo veinticinco años. — I'm twenty-five years old.
- ¿Tienes hambre? — Are you hungry?
- Tenemos que salir. — We have to leave.
Tener appears in age (years), hunger/thirst/cold idioms, possession, and obligations, easily the most utility-packed irregular verb in Spanish.
Tener Conjugation Quick Reference
Tener at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | tengo | tuve | tenía | tendré | tenga |
| tú | tienes | tuviste | tenías | tendrás | tengas |
| él/ella/Ud. | tiene | tuvo | tenía | tendrá | tenga |
| nosotros | tenemos | tuvimos | teníamos | tendremos | tengamos |
| vosotros | tenéis | tuvisteis | teníais | tendréis | tengáis |
| ellos/Uds. | tienen | tuvieron | tenían | tendrán | tengan |
Common Tener Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Tener powers four high-frequency contexts. Each one anchors common, daily-use Spanish.
Possession & Family
- Tengo un coche.
- I have a car.
- Tiene tres hijos.
- She has three kids.
- Tenemos una casa grande.
- We have a big house.
- ¿Tienes hermanos?
- Do you have siblings?
Possession is the bread-and-butter use. Tener also covers having people in your life, family, friends, colleagues.
Age (Tener + Años)
- Tengo treinta años.
- I'm thirty (years old).
- Mi hijo tiene cinco años.
- My son is five (years old).
- ¿Cuántos años tienes?
- How old are you?
- Mis abuelos tienen ochenta años.
- My grandparents are eighty.
Spanish uses tener (not ser) for age. Literally I have thirty years. The años is required.
Tener Idioms (States)
- Tengo hambre.
- I'm hungry.
- Tienen sed.
- They're thirsty.
- Tengo frío.
- I'm cold.
- Tenemos miedo.
- We're scared.
Spanish handles many physical/emotional states with tener + noun. English uses to be + adjective for the same meaning.
Tener Que + Infinitive (Obligation)
- Tengo que estudiar.
- I have to study.
- Tienes que ir al médico.
- You have to go to the doctor.
- Tenemos que decidir.
- We have to decide.
- Tuve que trabajar el sábado.
- I had to work Saturday.
Tener + que + infinitive expresses personal obligation. Works in any tense by changing only tener.
How to Conjugate Tener Across Tenses
Present, Yo Form Is Irregular (Tengo); Stem Changes e→ie
The yo form drops to tengo (not the expected teno). Other singular subjects and ellos take the e→ie stem change: tienes, tiene, tienen. Nosotros and vosotros keep the regular stem (tenemos, tenéis).
Yo tengo, tú tienes, ella tiene, nosotros tenemos, vosotros tenéis, ellos tienen.
I have, you have, she has, we have, you all have, they have.
Stress hops: tengo (regular yo), tienes / tiene / tienen (stem-change), tenemos / tenéis (no change).
Preterite, U-Stem (Tuv-) with No Accents
Tener uses the u-stem irregular set in the preterite: tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron. None of the forms carry written accents, the defining trait of this irregular family.
Ayer tuve un examen importante.
Yesterday I had an important exam.
Shared shape with estar (estuve), andar (anduve), poder (pude). Learn one, you know the family.
Future and Conditional, Irregular Stem Tendr-
Future and conditional drop the e and add d: tendré, tendrás, tendrá; tendría, tendrías, tendría. Same irregular stem (tendr-) feeds both tenses.
Mañana tendré tiempo. Tendría que llamarte.
Tomorrow I'll have time. I would have to call you.
Verbs in the venir / poner family share this -dr- pattern: vendr-, pondr-, salnd- (wait, saldr-). The d shows up in all of them.
Subjunctive, Built from Yo Form (Tengo → Tenga)
The present subjunctive uses the present yo form minus the -o: tengo → teng- → tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengáis, tengan. Used in wish/doubt/emotion triggers.
Espero que tengas un buen día.
I hope you have a good day.
Yo-form → drop -o → add opposite-vowel endings (-a / -as for -er and -ir verbs).
Common Mistakes with Tener Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo teno dos hermanas. — I have two sisters. (wrong, yo form is the irregular tengo)
Correct: Yo tengo dos hermanas. — I have two sisters.
The yo form drops to tengo, not the regular teno. This is one of the first irregular forms beginners learn, exposure to native Tengo... sentences locks it in fast.
Incorrect: Soy treinta años. — I'm thirty (years old). (wrong, Spanish uses tener for age, not ser)
Correct: Tengo treinta años. — I'm thirty (years old).
Age uses tener + años, not ser. Literally I have thirty years. Same logic for hunger (tengo hambre, not soy hambre) and cold (tengo frío).
Incorrect: Tengo que estudio mañana. — I have to study tomorrow. (wrong, second verb stays infinitive)
Correct: Tengo que estudiar mañana. — I have to study tomorrow.
Tener que + infinitive is fixed: only tener conjugates. The verb after que stays as an infinitive (-ar / -er / -ir). See the tener-que page for full coverage.
Tener Across Every Tense
Tener is irregular in nearly every tense, but the patterns cluster cleanly once you spot the stems.
Present
Irregular yo (tengo), e→ie in tú/él/ellos, regular nosotros and vosotros.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Tengo is the form you'll produce most, Tengo hambre, Tengo veinte años, Tengo que ir.
Preterite (Tuv-)
U-stem irregular. Unaccented across all six forms. Often shifts meaning toward got / received.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Tuve suerte = I got lucky. The got meaning shows up more in the preterite than other tenses.
Imperfect (Tenía)
Fully regular -er imperfect. Used for ongoing past states (Tenía hambre) or background descriptions.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Tenía describes ongoing past possession (I used to have); tuve marks a one-shot event (I had / got at a specific moment).
Future, Conditional, and Subjunctive
Future/conditional use tendr- stem. Subjunctive builds on tengo → teng- + -a endings.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Conditional tendría is everywhere in polite requests: ¿Tendría tiempo para...? (Would you have time for...?).
Tener Idioms and the Tener Que Construction
Tener + Noun (State Idioms)
Spanish handles many physical and emotional states with tener + noun (no article). English uses to be + adjective for the same meaning.
- Tengo hambre / sed / frío / calor.
- I'm hungry / thirsty / cold / hot.
- Tienen miedo / sueño / razón.
- They're scared / sleepy / right.
Mistake watch: don't add un / una (Tengo hambre, not Tengo un hambre). The noun stays bare.
Tener + Años (Age)
Spanish counts age as I have X years. The años is required; the number takes the standard cardinal form.
- Tengo treinta y dos años.
- I'm thirty-two.
- ¿Cuántos años tienes?
- How old are you?
Never use ser for age. Soy treinta años is incorrect across every Spanish region.
Tener Que + Infinitive (Obligation)
Tener + que + infinitive expresses personal obligation. Conjugate only tener; the infinitive stays unchanged. Works in every tense.
- Tengo que salir.
- I have to leave.
- Tuvo que esperar.
- He had to wait.
See the tener-que page for full coverage of the construction and contrasts with hay que and deber.
Tener Conjugation FAQs
- What does tener mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Tener means to have, used for possession (Tengo un coche), family (Tiene tres hijos), age (Tengo treinta años), states (Tengo hambre), and obligation with tener que + infinitive (Tengo que estudiar).
- How does tener conjugate in the present tense?
- Tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen. The yo form is the irregular tengo; tú/él/ella/ellos use the e→ie stem change (tienes, tiene, tienen). Nosotros and vosotros keep the regular stem.
- What's the preterite of tener?
- Tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron. All forms use the u-stem (tuv-) with no written accents, same shape as estar (estuve) and andar (anduve).
- What's the future of tener?
- Tendré, tendrás, tendrá, tendremos, tendréis, tendrán. Irregular stem tendr- (drops the e of tener and adds d). Same -dr- pattern as poner (pondr-), salir (saldr-), venir (vendr-).
- How can I get better at conjugating tener?
- The fastest way is exposure to native speakers using tener across all its uses, possession, age, idioms, obligation. Parrot delivers daily videos where tengo, tienes, tuve, tendré show up in real contexts, so the irregular forms become automatic.