Master TENER Conjugation: Complete Guide for All Tenses

For the most part, Spanish verbs are regular, meaning that as long as you know the conjugation formula, you should be good to go. However, life would be too easy if that was the case for all verbs, which is why there’s a group of them called irregular verbs - and tener is one of those. Unfortunately, with irregular verbs like TENER, you will need to learn the conjugation by heart, as otherwise, it will be hard for you to use the correct form. 

When to Use Tener

The main situation in which you will be using tener is to express possession or necessity. If you want to say that you have something or that you need to do something, then tener will be your verb of choice. It’s the same in English - we use “to have”, as that’s its English equivalent, to express the fact that we possess something. It’s also often used to talk about someone’s physical characteristics or age. 

• Tengo pelo negro. - I have black hair. 
• Tengo ojos azules. - I have blue eyes. 
• Tengo 21 años. - I am 21 years old.

However, it can also be used to express feelings — if you want to say you’re feeling thirsty, hungry, cold, sleepy, scared, etc., the verb you would use is tener. Some examples of Spanish tener expressions with translation include: 

• Tener hambre. - Feeling hungry (to be hungry). 
• Tener sed. - Feeling sad. 
• Tener frio. - Feeling cold. 
• Tener miedo. - Feeling scared. 
• Tener sueño. - Feeling sleepy. 
• Tener suerte. - Feeling lucky. 

Indicative Tenses of Tener With Examples

Indicative tenses are some of the first things a person learning Spanish will be introduced to, as you can’t have a conversation without first learning how to properly conjugate verbs - or maybe we should say that you can; however, the other person might have trouble understanding exactly what you mean. 

The indicative tenses are tenses that we use for statements - describe facts, characteristics, qualities, etc., contrary to subjunctive tenses, which we will talk about later. 

Indicative Tener in Simple Tenses

Indicative Tener Present Conjugation Chart 

Examples of Indicative Tener Present Conjugation: 

• No sé qué te dijo Anna, pero yo no tengo tu teléfono. - I don’t know what Anna told you, but I don’t have your phone. 
• Ella no tiene dinero. - She doesn’t have money. 

Indicative Tener Preterite Conjugation Chart

Examples of Indicative Tener Past Tense (Preterite) Conjugation

• ¿Tuviste suficiente tiempo para completar el proyecto? - Did you have enough time to finish the project? 
• Usted tuvo una reunión este fin de semana, ¿no? - You had a meeting this week, right? 

Indicative Tener Imperfect Conjugation Chart

Examples of Indicative Tener Imperfect Conjugation:

• Yo tenía una manta favorita cuando era pequeño, pero ahora no sé dónde está. - I used to have a favorite blanket when I was little, but I don’t know where it is now. 
• Ellos no tenían trabajo, pero ahora trabajan como camareros. - They used to not have a job, but now they work as waiters. 

Indicative Tener Present Continuous Conjugation Chart

Examples of Indicative Tener Present Continuous Conjugation:

• Estoy teniendo mi fiesta de cumpleaños por la tarde. - I am having my birthday party in the evening. 
• Ella está teniendo algunos problemas con los documentos, pero esperamos que se resuelvan pronto. - She’s having some issues with the documents but we are hoping they will be resolved soon. 

Indicative Tener Future Conjugation Chart

Examples of Indicative Tener Future Conjugation:

• Si quieres superar el examen, tendrás que estudiar mucho. - If you want to pass the exam, you will have to study a lot. 
• Mis hijos tendrán vacaciones el próximo mes, así que tengo que buscar una niñera para ellos. - My children will have holidays next month, so I need to look for a babysitter for them. 

Indicative Tener Conditional Conjugation Chart

Examples of Indicative Tener Conditional Conjugation:

• Yo tendría más tiempo libre si no trabajara tanto. - I would have more free time if I didn’t work so much. 
• Ella dijo que si se mudara al campo, tendría un gato. - She said if she moved to the countryside, she would have a cat. 

The Conjugation of Tener Indicative in Compound Tenses

Examples of Indicative Tener Compound Tenses: 

• Present Perfect: Tú has tenido un día muy ocupado. - You have had a very busy day. 
• Past Perfect: Yo había tenido un sueño extraño antes de despertarme. - I had a weird dream before I woke up. 
• Future Perfect: Yo habré tenido una respuesta para entonces. - I will have had an answer by then. 
• Conditional Perfect: Vosotras habríais tenido más dinero si no lo hubierais gastado todo cuando estabais en Londres. - You all would have had more money if you hadn’t spent it all when you were in London. 

Subjunctive Tenses of Tener with Examples 

The subjunctive tenses are the opposite of indicative tenses. While indicative mood talks about things that can be considered facts, subjunctive tenses focus on the “what ifs”. It expresses hopes, dreams, wishes, and more. 

Subjunctive Tener in Simple Tenses

Subjunctive Tener Present Conjugation Chart

Examples of Subjunctive Tener Present Conjugation:

• Es posible que ellos tengan que quedarse hasta tarde para terminar el proyecto. - It’s possible that they have to stay late to finish the project. 
• Es importante que tú tengas todos los documentos listos para la reunión. - It’s important that you have all the documents ready for the meeting. 

Subjunctive Tener Imperfect Conjugation Chart

Examples of Subjunctive Tener Imperfect Conjugation:

• Si yo tuviera más tiempo, estudiaría otro idioma. - If I had more time I would study another language. 
• Si ella tuviera más dinero, se mudaría al otro lado del mundo. - If she had more time, she would move to the other side of the world. 

Subjunctive Tener Future Conjugation Chart

Examples of Subjunctive Tener Future Conjugation:

• Si tú tuvieres tiempo mañana, podríamos ir al cine. - If you will have time tomorrow, we could go to the cinema. 
• Ojalá que tuvieres la oportunidad de estudiar en el extranjero algún día. - Hopefully you will have the opportunity to study abroad some day. 

Subjunctive Tener in Compound Tenses

Examples of Subjunctive Tener Compound Tenses:

• Present Perfect: Espero que ella haya tenido suficiente tiempo para estudiar para el examen. - I hope she has had enough time to study for the exam. 
• Past Perfect: Dudaba que él hubiera tenido la experiencia necesaria para el trabajo. - I doubted that he had had the necessary experience for the job.
• Future Perfect: Esperamos que para la próxima reunión, ellos ya hubieren tenido la oportunidad de revisar el informe. - We hope that by the next meeting, they will have already had the opportunity to review the report.

Imperative Tenses of Tener

Examples of Imperative Tenses Tener Conjugation:

• Affirmative: Ten paciencia, todo saldrá bien. - Have patience, everything will be fine.
• Negative: No tengan prisa, todavía hay tiempo para terminar el proyecto. - Don't be in a hurry, there's still time to finish the project.

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