In this lesson
One verb, three jobs
Tener means "to have", and it's one of the verbs you'll say most in Spanish. It does three jobs:
- What you have: Tengo un perro. (I have a dog.)
- Your age: Tengo 30 años. (I'm 30, literally "I have 30 years".)
- How your body feels: Tengo hambre. (I'm hungry, literally "I have hunger".)
The first one works just like English. The other two are where English speakers slip, because English uses "to be" there.
We start with yo (I) and tú (you), so you can talk about yourself and ask the other person right back:
| tener | |
|---|---|
| yo (I) | tengo |
| tú (you) | tienes |
Tengo is one of the "-go" verbs from the irregular starter pack, and tienes changes its vowel (e → ie). Two forms, and you can already have a conversation.
What you have
Use it exactly like English "have":
Things you have
- Tengo un perro.I have a dog.
- Tengo dos hermanos.I have two brothers (or a brother and a sister).
- Tengo una pregunta.I have a question.
- Tengo clase a las cinco.I have class at five.
- ¿Tienes hijos?Do you have kids?
- ¿Tienes tiempo?Do you have time?
Your age
In English you are 30. In Spanish you have 30 years:
Talking about age
- ¿Cuántos años tienes?How old are you? (literally: how many years do you have?)
- Tengo 30 años.I'm 30.
- Tengo 25.I'm 25. (you can drop años)
Soy 30 años is one of the first mistakes every teacher hears. Age is always tener.
How your body feels
This is the big one. Hunger, thirst, cold, heat, sleep, fear: Spanish treats them as things you have, not things you are.
Tener + a feeling
- Tengo hambre.I'm hungry. (I have hunger)
- Tengo sed.I'm thirsty. (I have thirst)
- Tengo frío.I'm cold. (I have cold)
- Tengo calor.I'm hot. (I have heat)
- Tengo sueño.I'm sleepy. (I have sleep)
- Tengo miedo.I'm scared. (I have fear)
- Tengo prisa.I'm in a hurry. (I have hurry)
- Tengo razón.I'm right. (I have reason)
- ¿Tienes hambre?Are you hungry?
✍️ Quick check
0/3
1.___ hambre. (I'm hungry.)
2.¿Cuántos años ___? (How old are you?)
3.Tengo ___ frío. (I'm very cold.)
When it's not tener
Not every feeling uses tener. If the English word describes you (tired, sick, happy, bored), it's estar, like you saw in ser vs estar:
| Tener (you have it) | Estar (you are it) |
|---|---|
| Tengo hambre. I'm hungry. | Estoy cansado. I'm tired. |
| Tengo sueño. I'm sleepy. | Estoy enfermo. I'm sick. |
| Tengo frío. I'm cold. | Estoy bien. I'm good. |
A quick test: if the Spanish word is a noun (hambre, sueño, miedo), use tener. If it's an adjective (cansado, enfermo, contento), use estar.
Common mistakes
✗Estoy hambre.
✓Tengo hambre.
Hunger is a thing you have. This mistake sticks for years if nobody fixes it early.
✗Soy 30 años.
✓Tengo 30 años.
Age is always tener.
✗Tengo muy hambre.
✓Tengo mucha hambre.
Hambre is a noun, so "very" is mucha.
✗Estoy caliente. (to say you're warm)
✓Tengo calor.
Estoy caliente means something very different in Mexico.
✗Tengo cansado.
✓Estoy cansado.
Cansado is an adjective, it describes you: estar.
Put it together
Here's the sentence from class:
Tengo dos hermanos y tengo mucha hambre.
- tengo dos hermanos: something you have
- tengo mucha hambre: how your body feels, with mucha because hambre is a noun
And here's how it sounds in a real conversation:
¿Cuántos años tienes?
How old are you?
Tengo veinticinco. ¿Y tú?
I'm twenty-five. And you?
Tengo treinta. ¿Tienes hermanos?
I'm thirty. Do you have brothers and sisters?
Sí, tengo dos hermanos. Oye, tengo mucha hambre.
Yes, I have two brothers. Hey, I'm really hungry.
Yo no tengo hambre, pero tengo sed. ¿Tacos y un agua?
I'm not hungry, but I'm thirsty. Tacos and a water?
¡Sí! Pero tengo prisa: tengo clase a las cinco.
Yes! But I'm in a hurry: I have class at five.
Now make it yours: say how old you are, what you have (a pet, brothers and sisters, a car) and how you feel right now. Then ask someone else the same with tienes.
Test yourself
✍️ Six quick questions
0/6
1.___ sed. (I'm thirsty.)
2.¿___ frío? (Are you cold?)
3.___ 40 años. (I'm 40.)
4.It's 35 °C outside. You say…
5.___ cansado. (I'm tired.)
6.Tengo ___ sueño. (I'm really sleepy.)
All the forms
Full present-tense chart of tener
You'll learn él/ella in class 10 and nosotros/ellos in class 11. Here's the whole picture for when you need it. We teach Mexican Spanish, so there's no vosotros.
| yo | tú | él / ella / usted | nosotros | ellos / ustedes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tener | tengo | tienes | tiene | tenemos | tienen |
Coming up later: tener que + a verb means "to have to": Tengo que trabajar (I have to work). And tener ganas de means "to feel like": Tengo ganas de bailar (I feel like dancing).