tener conjugation

Q: Why is tengo irregular?

The e of the stem drops out in the singular present forms: tengo, tienes, tiene rather than tengo, tenes, tiene. The same thing happens in venir → vengo, vienes, viene, and it's why the -go forms are worth learning as a group.

Q: How do you say your age in Spanish?

With tener: tengo 30 años. Never estoy and never soy. This is one of the most common mistakes for English speakers, and it's also one of the first things a Spanish child learns.

Q: What is the difference between tener que and hay que?

Tengo que is personal — it names who has to do it (we have to go). Hay que is impersonal — it's the equivalent of "one has to" or "you need to", and is often used for general rules (hay que llegar temprano — you have to arrive early). Both are extremely common.

Updated October 23, 2026

Tener is irregular in the present (tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen) and in the preterite (tuve, tuviste, tuvo), and regular everywhere else. It means "to have" but is also the verb that builds age, hunger, and possession: tengo 30 años (I'm 30), tengo hambre (I'm hungry).

tener loses the e in the singular present — tengo, tienes, tiene — and keeps it in the plural. The same pattern gives vengo, vienes, viene.

Red pencil marks the three forms where the e disappears. Everything else keeps it.
The same drop gives vengo, vienes, viene — so learning it once covers both verbs.

tener — to have. Tengo.

Present indicative

Pronoun	tener	Say
yo	tengo	TEHN-goh
tú	tienes	TYEH-nehs
él / ella / usted	tiene	TYEH-neh
nosotros	tenemos	teh-NEH-mohs
vosotros	tenéis	teh-NEH-ees
ellos / ellas / ustedes	tienen	TYEH-nehn

The e in the stem drops out in the singular forms of the present: tengo, tienes, tiene. That's the same irregularity as venir (I come) → vengo.

Preterite

Pronoun	tener	Say
yo	tuve	TOO-veh
tú	tuviste	too-VEES-teh
él / ella / usted	tuvo	TOO-voh
nosotros	tuvimos	too-VEE-mohs
vosotros	tuvisteis	too-vees-TAY-ees
ellos / ellas / ustedes	tuvieron	too-VEE-ROHN

Imperfect

Pronoun	tener	Say
yo	tenía	teh-NEE-ah
tú	tenías	teh-NEE-ahs
él / ella / usted	tenía	teh-NEE-ah
nosotros	teníamos	teh-NEE-ah-mohs
vosotros	teníais	teh-NEE-ah-ees
ellos / ellas / ustedes	tenían	teh-NEE-ahn

Future, conditional and subjunctive

Pronoun	Future	Conditional	Pres. subj.	Imp. subj.
yo	tendré	tendría	tenga	tuviera
tú	tendrás	tendrías	tengas	tuvieras
él / ella / usted	tendrá	tendría	tenga	tuviera
nosotros	tendremos	tendríamos	tengamos	tuviéramos
vosotros	tendréis	tendríais	tengáis	tuvierais
ellos / ellas / ustedes	tendrán	tendrían	tengan	tuvieran

Imperative

Pronoun	Affirmative	Negative
tú	ten	no tengas
usted	tenga	no tenga
nosotros	tengamos	no tengamos
vosotros	tened	no tengáis
ustedes	tengan	no tengan

What gets built on tener

Expressions where tener carries the meaning, not 'to have'
Expression	Means
tengo 30 años	I'm 30 — age uses tener, not estar or ser
tengo hambre	I'm hungry
tengo sed	I'm thirsty
tengo sueño	I'm sleepy
tengo miedo	I'm afraid
tengo razón	I'm right
tengo calor / frío	I'm hot / cold
no tengo tiempo	I don't have time

Age is the one that catches people out. In Spanish you tener your age: tengo 30 años, never estoy 30 años. And notice that tengo hambre has nothing to do with having hunger as a possession — it's just how the language works.

Tener also forms the periphrastic future, like va a but more formal: tengo que ir (I have to go), tenemos que comer (we have to eat). You'll meet it constantly.

Reading a word once is not remembering it. A verb you look up today is gone tomorrow. A verb that comes back to you — in a sentence you'd read anyway, on the day you'd have forgotten it — is yours.
No streak, no guilt. Kin tracks one number: how many words are in reach today. It goes down honestly when you drift and comes back when you return.

Questions

Why is tengo irregular?

The e of the stem drops out in the singular present forms: tengo, tienes, tiene rather than tengo, tenes, tiene. The same thing happens in venir → vengo, vienes, viene, and it's why the -go forms are worth learning as a group.

How do you say your age in Spanish?

With tener: tengo 30 años. Never estoy and never soy. This is one of the most common mistakes for English speakers, and it's also one of the first things a Spanish child learns.

What is the difference between tener que and hay que?

Tengo que is personal — it names who has to do it (we have to go). Hay que is impersonal — it's the equivalent of "one has to" or "you need to", and is often used for general rules (hay que llegar temprano — you have to arrive early). Both are extremely common.

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