Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Tener in Spanish
To have Irregular Verb Top 100
At a glance: Tener (to have) is one of the most common irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen. Its irregularities include: The preterite ending is modified to include uv (also affecting subjunctive imperfect), Add g for yo in the present indicative (which also affects the subjunctive present and imperatives) and Add d in the indicative future and conditional tenses.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Indicative tenses of Tener
- Tener in the Indicative Present
- Tener in the Indicative Preterite
- Tener in the Indicative Imperfect
- Tener in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Tener in the Indicative Informal Future
- Tener in the Indicative Future
- Tener in the Indicative Conditional
- Tener in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Tener in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Tener in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Tener in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Tener
- Imperative tenses of Tener
- Example sentences and usage
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practice Tener conjugations (free mobile app)
Introduction
Tener is the Spanish verb "to have". It is an extremely useful verb and is largely irregular when conjugating. It is important to note that in Spanish, tener is used to portray a person's age; for example: "tengo 21 años". This literally translates to "I have 21 years". Another common use for Tener is to indicate an obligation, for example: "tengo que irme a casa" - "I have to go home". It is always followed by "que" to indicate this type of obligation or "must".
Similar verbs to tener include: poseer (to have/ possess).
| Item | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | tener | to have |
| Past participle | tenido | had |
| Gerund | teniendo | having |
Indicative Tenses of Tener
Tener in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of tener is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "tengo un gato gris", meaning "I have a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tengo | I have |
| Tú | tienes | you have |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tiene | s/he has |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tenemos | we have |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tenéis | you (plural) have |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tienen | they have |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of tener is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "tuve un gato gris", meaning "I had a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tuve | I had |
| Tú | tuviste | you had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tuvo | s/he had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tuvimos | we had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tuvisteis | you (plural) had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tuvieron | they had |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of tener is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "tenía un gato gris", meaning "I used to have a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tenía | I used to have |
| Tú | tenías | you used to have |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tenía | s/he used to have |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | teníamos | we used to have |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | teníais | you (plural) used to have |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tenían | they used to have |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of tener is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy teniendo un gato gris", meaning "I am having a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy teniendo | I am having |
| Tú | estás teniendo | you are having |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está teniendo | s/he is having |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos teniendo | we are having |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis teniendo | you (plural) are having |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están teniendo | they are having |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of tener is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a tener un gato gris", meaning "I am going to have a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a tener | I am going to have |
| Tú | vas a tener | you are going to have |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a tener | s/he is going to have |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a tener | we are going to have |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a tener | you (plural) are going to have |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a tener | they are going to have |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of tener is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "tendré un gato gris", meaning "I will have a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tendré | I will have |
| Tú | tendrás | you will have |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tendrá | s/he will have |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tendremos | we will have |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tendréis | you (plural) will have |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tendrán | they will have |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of tener is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "tendría un gato gris", meaning "I would have a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tendría | I would have |
| Tú | tendrías | you would have |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tendría | s/he would have |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tendríamos | we would have |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tendríais | you (plural) would have |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tendrían | they would have |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of tener is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he tenido un gato gris", meaning "I have had a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he tenido | I have had |
| Tú | has tenido | you have had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha tenido | s/he has had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos tenido | we have had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis tenido | you (plural) have had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han tenido | they have had |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of tener is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había tenido un gato gris", meaning "I had had a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había tenido | I had had |
| Tú | habías tenido | you had had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había tenido | s/he had had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos tenido | we had had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais tenido | you (plural) had had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían tenido | they had had |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of tener is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré tenido un gato gris", meaning "I will have had a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré tenido | I will have had |
| Tú | habrás tenido | you will have had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá tenido | s/he will have had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos tenido | we will have had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis tenido | you (plural) will have had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán tenido | they will have had |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of tener is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría tenido un gato gris", meaning "I would have had a grey cat".
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría tenido | I would have had |
| Tú | habrías tenido | you would have had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría tenido | s/he would have had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos tenido | we would have had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais tenido | you (plural) would have had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían tenido | they would have had |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Subjunctive Tenses of Tener
Tener in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "tenga", meaning "I have ".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tenga | I have |
| Tú | tengas | you have |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tenga | s/he has |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tengamos | we have |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tengáis | you (plural) have |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tengan | they have |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "tuviera", meaning "I had".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tuviera | I had |
| Tú | tuvieras | you had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tuviera | s/he had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tuviéramos | we had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tuvierais | you (plural) had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tuvieran | they had |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "tuviere", meaning "I will have".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tuviere | I will have |
| Tú | tuvieres | you will have |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tuviere | s/he will have |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tuviéremos | we will have |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tuviereis | you (plural) will have |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tuvieren | they will have |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya tenido", meaning "I have had".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya tenido | I have had |
| Tú | hayas tenido | you have had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya tenido | s/he has had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos tenido | we have had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis tenido | you (plural) have had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan tenido | they have had |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera tenido", meaning "I had had".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera tenido | I had had |
| Tú | hubieras tenido | you had had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera tenido | s/he had had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos tenido | we had had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais tenido | you (plural) had had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran tenido | they had had |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere tenido", meaning "I will have had".
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere tenido | I will have had |
| Tú | hubieres tenido | you will have had |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere tenido | s/he will have had |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos tenido | we will have had |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis tenido | you (plural) will have had |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren tenido | they will have had |
Or use our app:
Back to top
Imperative Tenses of Tener
Tener in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "tenga", meaning "(to you formal) have!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | ten | (to you) have! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | tenga | (to you formal) have! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | tengamos | let's have! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | tened | (to you plural) have! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | tengan | (to you plural formal) have! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Tener in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no tenga", meaning "(to you formal) don't have!".
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no tengas | (to you) don't have! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no tenga | (to you formal) don't have! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no tengamos | let's not have! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no tengáis | (to you plural) don't have! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no tengan | (to you plural formal) don't have! |
The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.
Or use our app:
Back to top
Example sentences and usage
- Tengo que irme a dormir. I have to go to sleep.
- No tengo la intención de ser egoísta. I don't intend to be selfish.
- No tengo a nadie que viaje conmigo. I don't have anyone who'd travel with me.
- Tengo una cuenta pendiente contigo. I have a bone to pick with you.
- ¡Dame tiempo para darte todo lo que tengo! Give me time to give you everything I have!
- Lo que no tienes es mejor que lo que sí tienes. What you don't have is better than what you do have.
- ¿Cuándo se puede decir que una persona tiene problemas con el alcohol? When can one say that a person has alcohol issues?
- Aquí tiene su cambio. Here is your change.
Back to top
Frequently asked questions about Tener
Is tener a regular or irregular verb?
Tener is an irregular Spanish verb. Its irregularities include: The preterite ending is modified to include uv (also affecting subjunctive imperfect), Add g for yo in the present indicative (which also affects the subjunctive present and imperatives) and Add d in the indicative future and conditional tenses.
How do you conjugate tener in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), tener is conjugated as: yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella/usted tiene, nosotros tenemos, vosotros tenéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
How do you conjugate tener in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), tener is conjugated as: yo tuve, tú tuviste, él/ella/usted tuvo, nosotros tuvimos, vosotros tuvisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tuvieron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate tener in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), tener is conjugated as: yo tenía, tú tenías, él/ella/usted tenía, nosotros teníamos, vosotros teníais, ellos/ellas/ustedes tenían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
How do you conjugate tener in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), tener is conjugated as: yo tendré, tú tendrás, él/ella/usted tendrá, nosotros tendremos, vosotros tendréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tendrán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate tener in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), tener is conjugated as: yo tenga, tú tengas, él/ella/usted tenga, nosotros tengamos, vosotros tengáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tengan. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
What are some common example sentences using tener?
Here are everyday sentences using tener: Tengo que irme a dormir. (I have to go to sleep.) No tengo la intención de ser egoísta. (I don't intend to be selfish.) No tengo a nadie que viaje conmigo. (I don't have anyone who'd travel with me.) Tengo una cuenta pendiente contigo. (I have a bone to pick with you.) ¡Dame tiempo para darte todo lo que tengo! (Give me time to give you everything I have!)
Back to top
Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Tener Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
Back to top
Practice Tener conjugations (free mobile & web app)
Get full conjugation tables for Tener and 2,300+ other verbs on-the-go with Ella Verbs for iOS, Android, and web.
We also guide you through learning all Spanish tenses and test your knowledge with conjugation quizzes. Download it for free!
Back to top
About Ella Verbs
👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app's features:
It has changed a lot over the 9+ years we have been working on it, but the goal remains the same – to help you master Spanish conjugation! You can download and try it for free, and, if you do, please send any and all feedback our way!
- Jane & Brian
Back to top
Want to explore other verb conjugations?
Why not check out Terminar – to end, to terminate, to finish or see the complete list of verbs here.
Back to top
Tener: to have
Remove the mystery behind Spanish conjugation with Ella Verbs
- Learn how to conjugate (not just memorize)
- Discover & focus on your weaknesses
- Interactive quizzes that you actually learn from
- Free to try, and free forever for those who cannot afford it.
