Tener: Full Conjugation

Tener means "to have" in the sense of possession. It's also the backbone of countless fixed expressions where English uses "to be" — tener hambre ("to be hungry"), tener frío ("to be cold"), tener razón ("to be right"). If you had to pick the ten most useful verbs in Spanish, tener would be near the top of the list.

Tener is irregular throughout. In the present it's stem-changing (e → ie) with an irregular yo form (tengo). It takes the -uv--style preterite tuve, and uses the shortened stem tendr- in the future and conditional. The irregular imperative tú form is simply ten.

Present Indicative

Two irregularities stack here: the yo form is tengo (not teno), and the other forms show the e → ie stem change (tiene, not tene). The nosotros form is regular: tenemos.

Preterite

The preterite stem is tuv-, not ten-. This is the signature "u-stem" pattern shared with verbs like estar (estuve), andar (anduve), and poder (pude). Note the first- and third-person singular endings are -e and -o (not -é and -ó), without written accents.

Imperfect

The imperfect is completely regular.

Future

The future stem is tendr-, with the e of the infinitive dropped and a d inserted. The same pattern appears in poner → pondr-, salir → saldr-, venir → vendr-.

Conditional

Present Subjunctive

The present subjunctive stem comes from the yo form of the present indicative (tengo → teng-).

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Imperative

The affirmative tú form is the short irregular ten, one of the eight famous shortened imperatives.

Non-Finite Forms

• Infinitive: tener
• Gerund: teniendo
• Past participle: tenido

Compound Tenses

The compound tenses use haber plus the past participle tenido.

Present Perfect

Pluperfect

Future Perfect

Conditional Perfect

Present Perfect Subjunctive

Pluperfect Subjunctive

Progressive Forms

Progressive forms use estar + the gerund teniendo.

Present Progressive

Past Progressive

Future Progressive

Common Collocations and Expressions

Spanish often uses tener + a noun where English uses be + an adjective. Memorize these as a block.

• tener que + infinitive — to have to do something (personal obligation)
• tener ganas de + infinitive — to feel like doing something
• tener en cuenta — to take into account
• tener lugar — to take place
• tener razón — to be right
• tener hambre / sed / sueño / frío / calor — to be hungry / thirsty / sleepy / cold / hot
• tener miedo (de) — to be afraid (of)
• tener prisa — to be in a hurry
• tener suerte — to be lucky
• tener éxito — to be successful
• tener cuidado — to be careful
• tener X años — to be X years old
• tener celos (de) — to be jealous (of)
• tener vergüenza — to be embarrassed
• tener paciencia — to be patient
• no tener nada que ver con — to have nothing to do with
• tener pinta de — to look like / seem to be
• tener mala cara — to look unwell
• tener la culpa — to be at fault

Common Errors (for English speakers)

• ❌ Soy hambre. / ✅ Tengo hambre. — Use tener, not ser or estar, for sensations like hunger and thirst.
• ❌ Tenes un libro. / ✅ Tienes un libro. — Don't forget the e → ie stem change in the present.
• ❌ Tengo muy hambre. / ✅ Tengo mucha hambre. — Use mucho/-a (an adjective), not muy, with these noun-based expressions.
• ❌ Soy veinte años. / ✅ Tengo veinte años. — Spanish uses tener for age, never ser.
• ❌ Tengo trabajar. / ✅ Tengo que trabajar. — Don't forget que in tener que + infinitive.
• ❌ Tení un perro de niño. / ✅ Tenía un perro de niño. — The imperfect is regular: tenía, not tení.

Related Verbs

• haber — the auxiliary "have" for compound tenses; never used for possession.
• venir — shares tener's irregular patterns (vengo, vine, vendré, ven).
• poseer — formal "to possess." Use only for legal or emphatic ownership.
• contar con — "to have at one's disposal," "to count on" (cuento contigo).
• disponer de — formal "to have available" (dispongo de poco tiempo).

Cross-references

• Haber: full conjugation
• Venir: full conjugation
• Irregular yo forms ending in -go
• U-stem preterites
• Imperative overview