# tener conjugation

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Updated 2026-10-23 · HTML version: https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations/tener

> *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).

**Diagram.** tener loses the e in the singular present — tengo, tienes, tiene — and keeps it in the plural. The same pattern gives vengo, vienes, viene.
> A diagram showing that in the Spanish verb tener the e of the stem drops out in the singular present forms: tengo, tienes, tiene — while the plural keeps it: tenemos, tenéis, tienen.
- Forms to learn on their own: the e drops, tengo, tienes, tiene.
- Forms that follow a pattern: tener, stem: ten-, the e stays, tenemos, tenéis, tienen.
- **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.

## Related

- [Spanish verb conjugations](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/conjugations.md)
- [Numbers in Spanish](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/numbers.md)
- [How long does it really take to learn Spanish?](https://learnwithkin.com/spanish/how-long-to-learn.md)

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