In our second piece on three verbs (Dar, Tener, and Hacer) to discuss their main uses, but more importantly (and more interestingly) their alternate usages. Today we will focus today on the verb “tener” which in English is “to have”.

Yo tengo – I have

Tú tienes – You have

Él/ella tiene – He/she has

Nosotros tenemos– We have

Ellos/ellas tienen – They have

Ustedes tienen – You (pl) have

Again, not rocket science, but obvious must-knows for the most beginner Spanish student. Here are a few examples in some sentences:

Tengo una casa grande. – I have a big house.

– I have a big house. Ella tiene dos hermanos. – She has two brothers.

– She has two brothers. Nosotros tenemos una reunión con el jefe. – We have a meeting with the boss.

– We have a meeting with the boss. ¿Tú tienes la manzana que te di ayer?. – Do you have the apple that I gave you yesterday?

Beyond the above, in Spanish the verb “tener” is commonly used together with the following nouns:

Vergüenza – (to have) shame

Paciencia – (to have) patience

Tiempo – (to have) time

Dolor – (to have) pain

Familia – (to have) family

Pereza – (to have) laziness

Dudas – (to have) doubts

Fé – (to have) faith

Confianza – (to have) trust

Pena – (to have) grief

Obviously, these are pretty common in English as well. There are uses of “tener” however, that are used differently in Spanish:

Tengo frío .- I am cold. (literally: I have cold)

.- I am cold. (literally: I have cold) Nosotros tenemos calor . – We are hot.

. – We are hot. Tú siempre tienes hambre. – You are always hungry.

Many everyday expressions in Spanish begin with “tener”. Where in English it is common to use to be + adjective, in Spanish the construction is often: tener + noun.

tener frío – to be cold

tener calor – to be hot

tener hambre – to be hungry

tener sed – to be thirsty

tener sueño – to be sleepy

tener años – to be years old

tener miedo – to be afraid

tener prisa – to be in a hurry

tener cuidado – to be careful

tener (la) razón – to be right

tener suerte – to be lucky

tener celos – to be jealous

tener éxito – to be successful

tener (mucho) gusto en – to be (very) glad to

tener gracia – to be funny

For example:

Ella tiene veinte años. – She is twenty years old.

– She is twenty years old. Él tiene mucho calor. – He is very warm.

– He is very warm. Nosotros tenemos frío. – We are cold.

– We are cold. Jorge tiene sed cuando está en la playa. – Jorge is thirsty when at the beach.

– Jorge is thirsty when at the beach. Ella tiene celos de su novio. – She is jealous of her boyfriend.

NOTE:

“To be warm” and “to be cold” translate as “hacer calor” and “hacer frío”, respectively, when referring to the weather, and as “estar caliente” and “estar frío”, respectively, when referring to things.

The verb “tener” can also be used as follows.

tener la culpa (de) – to blame

tener que ver con – to have to do with

tener la bondan/gentiliza (de) – please

tener sentido – to make sense

tener buena cara – to look good

tener ganas de + infinitivo/sustantivo – to feel like, to care to

Note that the English translation is completely different, as there is a specific verb in English and in Spanish we use the verb “to have” with a noun to form a phrase.

For example:

Él tiene la culpa de todos mis problemas . – He is to blame for all my problems.

. – He for all my problems. Esto no tiene nada que ver con aquello. – This has nothing to do with that.

– This that. Tengan ustedes la bondad de esperar un momento . – Please wait a minute.

. – wait a minute. El español a veces no tiene sentido . – Spanish sometimes does not make sense .

. – Spanish sometimes does not . Ellos no tienen buena cara . –They don’t look good .

. –They don’t . Tú tienes ganas de un helado de chocolate. – You feel like an ice cream.

The verb “tener” is also used to express an obligation, something needs to be done. You have to learn the following formula:

tener que + infinitive – to have to, to must

For example:

Tú tienes que estudiar más. – You have to study more.

– study more. Nosotros tenemos que practicar todo los verbos. – We have to practice all the verbs.

Thanks for reading again! 🙂

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