This lesson covers the five practical jobs of the Spanish verb tener. You'll learn the present-tense forms (tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen), the Spanish way to say your age (tener + a number + años — never ser), ten everyday expressions where Spanish uses tener where English uses 'to be' (tengo hambre, tengo sueño and friends), and tener que + infinitive for saying what you have to do.
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| yo tengo | I have | TEN-go |
| tú tienes | you have | TYEH-nes |
| él · ella · usted tiene | he / she has · you (formal) have | TYEH-neh |
| nosotros tenemos | we have | teh-NEH-mos |
| ustedes · ellos tienen | you all / they have | TYEH-nen |
| (España: vosotros tenéis) | you'll hear it in Spain — ustedes is understood everywhere |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Tengo 25 años. ✅ | I'm 25 — literally: I have 25 years. |
| ¿Cuántos años tienes? | How old are you? — literally: how many years do you have? |
| Tengo veintiocho años. (28) | I'm 28. |
| Mi hija tiene ocho años. (8) | My daughter is 8. |
| Spanish | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| tener hambre | to be hungry — Tengo hambre. | AHM-breh |
| tener sed | to be thirsty — Tengo sed. | sed |
| tener sueño | to be sleepy — Tengo sueño. | SWEH-nyoh |
| tener frío | to be cold — Tengo frío. | FREE-oh |
| tener calor | to be hot — Tengo calor. | kah-LOHR |
| tener miedo | to be scared — Tengo miedo. | MYEH-doh |
| tener prisa | to be in a hurry — Tengo prisa. | PREE-sah |
| tener razón | to be right — Tienes razón. | rah-SOHN |
| tener suerte | to be lucky — Tengo suerte. | SWEHR-teh |
| tener cuidado | to be careful | kwee-DAH-doh |
| tener ganas de + verbo | to feel like doing — Tengo ganas de bailar. | GAH-nahs |
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Tengo que trabajar. | I have to work. |
| Tienes que ver esto. | You have to see this. |
| Tenemos que salir. | We have to leave. |
| Me tengo que ir. = Tengo que irme. | both fully correct — pick either |
The cheat sheet collects all five forms, the age formula, the have-not-be family and the tener que formula on one page, plus 40 practice sentences with answers: The Verb Tener — Cheat Sheet.