Tenir means “have,” but Catalan uses “having” to organize age, bodily sensations, desires, responsibilities, success, and many evaluations. English often expresses the same ideas with be or an adjective: Catalan speakers “have” thirty years, hunger, cold, luck, reason, or a task pending.
The verb itself inflects normally; what must be learned is the phrase around it. Some nouns reject an article in their basic idiomatic reading, some require a complement with de, and some allow clitics such as en or ho. The infinitive tindre is standard and widespread in Valencian and also occurs in Northwestern speech (regional: Valencian and Northwestern); this page uses the general written form tenir.
See the tenir reference page for complete paradigms and the partitive clitic en for the replacement patterns used below.
The pattern grid
| Meaning | Stored pattern | Typical article/complement | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| possession | tenir + object | ordinary noun phrase | neutral |
| age | tenir + number + anys | no article | neutral |
| sensation/state | tenir gana/set/son/fred/calor... | normally no article | neutral |
| desire | tenir ganes de + noun/infinitive | plural ganes + de | neutral |
| outcome/evaluation | tenir èxit/sort/raó/la culpa... | lexically selected article | neutral |
| task/result state | tenir + object + pendent/a punt/participle | agreement may be visible | neutral |
Possession and age
In literal possession, tenir behaves much like English have: its object can be definite, indefinite, quantified, or pronominalized. Possession also extends naturally to relationships and available resources.
Tenim una habitació lliure al pis fins a finals de juny.
We have a spare room in the flat until the end of June. (neutral)
Les entrades les té l'Arnau guardades al mòbil.
Arnau has the tickets saved on his phone. (neutral; les resumes the fronted object)
Age is different from English predication. Catalan treats elapsed years as something a person has, so tinc trenta anys is structurally “I have thirty years,” never soc trenta anys.
La meva germana té vint-i-set anys i jo en tinc trenta-dos.
My sister is twenty-seven and I am thirty-two. (neutral; en replaces anys in the second clause)
The partitive clitic en is especially natural when a quantity remains but the counted noun is already known: Quants llibres tens? En tinc quatre. It does not replace a fully definite object: “I have the keys” is Les tinc, not En tinc.
Frame 1: “having” bodily and mental states
Substitutable frame: Tenir [gana / set / son / fred / calor / por / pressa].
These nouns normally appear without an article in the basic state reading. An intensifier can modify them: tenir molta gana, tenir una mica de son. An indefinite article is possible in expressive phrases such as Tinc una gana! “I'm so hungry!”, where it adds exclamative force rather than ordinary indefiniteness.
Tinc molta set; podem parar en aquella font?
I'm very thirsty; can we stop at that fountain? (informal)
Els nens tenen son, però encara no volen anar al llit.
The children are sleepy, but they still don't want to go to bed. (neutral)
Agafa una jaqueta si tens fred a la terrassa.
Take a jacket if you're cold on the terrace. (informal)
The adjective alternatives are not exact translations. Estar adormit means “be asleep” or “drowsy,” not simply tenir son “feel sleepy.” Estar afamat is much stronger than ordinary tenir gana. Estar fred usually describes low temperature to the touch or a cold state, while tenir fred describes someone's sensation. And estar calent does not safely mean “feel hot”; it may describe an object as hot and can acquire a sexual meaning for people (informal). Use tenir calor for the sensation.
Frame 2: desire with tenir ganes de
Substitutable frame: Tenir [moltes/poques/cap] ganes de [noun/infinitive].
Ganes is conventionally plural and takes de before what is desired. The subject is the person who feels the desire, unlike venir de gust, where the appealing thing is presented as coming to a dative experiencer. Both are natural, but their grammar is different.
Tinc ganes de tornar a veure el mar després de tants mesos.
I feel like seeing the sea again after so many months. (neutral)
Avui no tenim gens de ganes de cuinar; demanem alguna cosa?
We don't feel like cooking at all today; shall we order something? (informal)
De fer una altra reunió, no en tinc gens de ganes.
As for holding another meeting, I have no desire whatsoever. (informal/emphatic; en resumes de fer una altra reunió)
Dropping de breaks the stored complement pattern. Changing singular/plural also matters: basic tenir gana means hunger, while tenir ganes de means desire. They are related historically and semantically, but modern learners should store them as distinct constructions.
Success, failure, judgment, and responsibility
English distributes these meanings across be right, be lucky, succeed, and be at fault. Catalan often uses tenir + noun.
| Expression | Meaning | Internal grammar |
|---|---|---|
| tenir raó | be right | no article |
| tenir sort | be lucky | no article |
| tenir èxit | be successful / succeed | no article generically |
| tenir la culpa | be at fault | definite article |
| tenir remei | be fixable / have a remedy | often under negation |
| tenir problemes amb | have trouble with | plural noun + amb |
Tenies raó: el recanvi era dins del calaix de baix.
You were right: the spare part was in the bottom drawer. (neutral)
El projecte va tenir més èxit del que esperàvem.
The project was more successful than we expected. (neutral)
La campanya no va tenir l'èxit previst, però ens va ajudar a detectar els errors.
The campaign was not as successful as expected, but it helped us identify the mistakes. (neutral; negated tenir èxit expresses failure without a separate light verb)
La confusió no té gaire importància i encara té remei.
The mix-up isn't very important and can still be fixed. (neutral)
No sé qui té la culpa, però hem de reparar el dany avui.
I don't know who's at fault, but we have to repair the damage today. (neutral)
Here the articles are partly frozen. La culpa conventionally takes the definite article even when first introduced; raó in “be right” normally does not. English cannot predict this contrast.
Frame 3: obligations, pending tasks, and achieved results
Substitutable frame: Tenir [object] [pendent / per fer / a punt / participle].
Catalan can use tenir to describe a responsibility as a possessed pending item: tinc un informe pendent, tinc feina per fer. It can also present a completed result with tenir + object + participle. In that construction, the participle commonly agrees with the object because it describes the object's resulting state.
Tinc dos correus pendents de respondre abans de plegar.
I have two emails left to answer before finishing work. (neutral)
Ja tenim reservada la sala gran per a dijous.
We already have the large room booked for Thursday. (neutral; reservada agrees with sala)
Ho tinc tot a punt; només falta imprimir els programes.
I have everything ready; all that's left is to print the programs. (neutral)
This is obligation-like because a pending possession implies a task, but it is not the ordinary modal “must.” Standard obligation uses haver de + infinitive: He d'enviar l'informe avui. The construction tenir que + infinitive is widespread under Spanish influence but is not accepted as the standard general obligation form. Tenir l'obligació de is grammatical, though more explicit and formal.
Ho tinc clar and other predicative clitics
In tenir-ho clar, ho stands for a proposition or situation, while clar describes how mentally settled it is for the subject. The adjective is fixed neuter-like masculine singular with propositional ho.
Encara no ho tinc clar; deixa'm revisar les dues opcions.
I'm still not sure; let me review both options. (neutral)
—Tens clar quin tren agafarem? —Sí, ja tinc els bitllets descarregats.
—Are you clear about which train we're taking? —Yes, I already have the tickets downloaded. (informal mini-dialogue)
Literal and idiomatic perspectives
| Catalan expression | Literal image | Idiomatic English |
|---|---|---|
| tenir trenta anys | have thirty years | be thirty |
| tenir fred | have cold | feel/be cold |
| tenir raó | have reason | be right |
| tenir èxit | have success | succeed / be successful |
| tenir-ho clar | have it clear | be sure / understand clearly |
Soc una persona amb sort “I'm a lucky person” is grammatical and comprehensible, but it classifies the person. Tinc sort is the idiomatic way to describe luck in a situation. Likewise, estic famolenc is possible and vivid, but much stronger and less neutral than everyday tinc gana. A proverb such as qui té boca s'equivoca (“everyone who speaks can make mistakes”) belongs in a consoling or humorous context, not as a generic substitute for admitting a concrete error.
Common Mistakes
❌ Soc trenta-quatre anys des del març.
Incorrect English-style copular age expression: Catalan uses tenir.
✅ Tinc trenta-quatre anys des del març.
I've been thirty-four since March.
❌ Estic calor perquè hem tancat totes les finestres.
Incorrect: the bodily sensation is expressed with tenir calor.
✅ Tinc calor perquè hem tancat totes les finestres.
I'm hot because we've closed all the windows.
❌ Tinc ganes anar al mercat abans que tanquin.
Incorrect: ganes requires de before a noun or infinitive complement.
✅ Tinc ganes d'anar al mercat abans que tanquin.
I feel like going to the market before they close.
❌ Tinc que trucar al lampista aquest matí.
Nonstandard Spanish-influenced obligation: use haver de in general standard Catalan.
✅ He de trucar al lampista aquest matí.
I have to call the plumber this morning.
❌ Tenim culpa de l'error de la comanda.
Incorrect article pattern: the fixed expression is tenir la culpa.
✅ Tenim la culpa de l'error de la comanda.
We're to blame for the error in the order.
Key Takeaways
- Tenir covers literal possession and idiomatic “possessions” such as age, hunger, cold, luck, and being right.
- Basic sensations usually omit the article: tenir gana, set, son, fred, calor.
- Desire uses plural ganes plus de: tenir ganes de sortir.
- Articles are lexical: compare tenir raó/èxit with tenir la culpa.
- Tenir + object + participle describes an achieved result, while tenir + object + pendent/per fer describes task status.
- Use haver de, not standard tenir que, for ordinary obligation.
- Clitics matter: en replaces quantified or de-linked material, while ho can stand for a proposition in tenir-ho clar.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Conjugation of tenirA1 — Complete contemporary conjugation of tenir and tindre for possession, age, physical states, idioms, imperatives, and pronominal uses.
- Present of TenirA1 — Conjugate present-tense tenir and use it naturally for possession, age, sensations, obligations, and common everyday expressions.
- Likes, Wants, and NeedsA1 — Express preferences, wants, polite wishes, and needs with m'agrada, vull, voldria, em cal, and necessito.
- Health and the BodyA2 — Describe pain, fever, general condition, and minor injuries naturally with Catalan clitics, body-part articles, and intensity words.
- En as a Partitive PronounB1 — Use partitive en to resume indefinite nouns, mass nouns, and counted sets while keeping quantities and agreement visible.
- Haver de plus InfinitiveA2 — Express personal obligation, expectation, and planned action with the central Catalan periphrasis haver de plus infinitive.