Tener Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Tener (to have; also age and states: tener 20 años, tener hambre) is one of the most frequent verbs in Spanish and it is irregular on several axes at once: first person with -g- (tengo), stem change e→ie (tienes, tiene, tienen), strong preterite stem tuv- (tuve), future and conditional with -d- (tendré, tendría) and the tú command ten.

Indicative Tenses of Tener

Tener in the Present (Presente)

Possession, age, states and obligations in the present: Tengo dos hermanas y un gato (I have two sisters and a cat).

Present tense rules →

Tener in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions and states at a specific moment in the past: Ayer tuve que trabajar hasta muy tarde (Yesterday I had to work until very late).

Preterite rules →

Tener in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Esta semana hemos tenido mucho trabajo (This week we have had a lot of work).

Present perfect rules →

Tener in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual states and situations in the past: De pequeño siempre tenía hambre después del colegio (As a kid I was always hungry after school).

Imperfect rules →

Tener in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action or state before another past moment: Nunca había tenido tanto frío como aquel invierno (I had never been as cold as that winter).

Past perfect rules →

Tener in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: En marzo mi hija tendrá cinco años (In March my daughter will be five years old).

Future tense rules →

Tener in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para el viernes ya habremos tenido noticias de la empresa (By Friday we will have had news from the company).

Future perfect rules →

Tener in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Hypothetical situations and wishes: Con más dinero tendría una casa con jardín (With more money I would have a house with a garden).

Conditional rules →

Tener in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Sin tu ayuda habríamos tenido muchos problemas (Without your help we would have had a lot of problems).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Tener

Present Subjunctive of Tener (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Espero que tengas suerte en el examen (I hope you have good luck on the exam).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Tener (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Me alegro de que hayas tenido un buen viaje (I am glad you had a good trip).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Tener (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si tuviera más tiempo, aprendería otro idioma (If I had more time, I would learn another language).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Tener (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras tenido cuidado, no habrías perdido las llaves (If you had been careful, you would not have lost the keys).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Tener

Affirmative Commands of Tener (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Ten paciencia, ya casi terminamos! (Be patient, we are almost done!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Tener (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No tengas miedo, el perro es muy tranquilo (Don't be afraid, the dog is very calm).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Tener

• Tener ganas de - to feel like doing something, to want to
• Tener en cuenta - to take into account, to bear in mind
• No tener pelos en la lengua - to not mince words, to speak one's mind
• No tener ni idea - to have no idea
• Tener prisa - to be in a hurry