irregular
tener
to have
Present
| Person | Form | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| yo | tengo | |
| tú | tienes | |
| él, ella, usted | tiene | |
| nosotros | tenemos | |
| ellos, ustedes | tienen | |
| vosotros, Spain only | tenéis |
Past, the preterite
The tense for a finished action at a definite time. It is the past you need first.
| Person | Form | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| yo | tuve | |
| tú | tuviste | |
| él, ella, usted | tuvo | |
| nosotros | tuvimos | |
| ellos, ustedes | tuvieron |
The thing that catches people out
Spanish has age rather than being it: tengo treinta años is I have thirty years. The same shape covers hunger, thirst, cold and fear, so tengo hambre is I am hungry.
In a sentence
tengo dos hermanosI have two brothers
tengo hambreI am hungry