Eu tenho três livros.

I have three books.

Breakdown of Eu tenho três livros.

• eu: I
• ter: to have
• o livro: the book
• três: three

Questions & Answers about Eu tenho três livros.

Do I always need to say Eu, or can I just say Tenho três livros?

You can drop Eu.

Portuguese is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Eu tenho três livros. – perfectly correct, slightly more explicit or emphatic on I
• Tenho três livros. – also perfectly correct and very common in speech

You usually keep Eu when you want to emphasize I (e.g. Eu tenho três livros, tu não tens nenhum.).

What exactly does tenho mean, and how is it formed?

Tenho is the 1st person singular, present tense of the verb ter (to have).

Present tense of ter (European Portuguese):

• eu tenho – I have
• tu tens – you have (informal singular)
• ele / ela / você tem – he / she / you have
• nós temos – we have
• eles / elas / vocês têm – they / you (plural) have

So Eu tenho três livros = I have three books.

Is ter always used for possession, or can it mean other things too?

The main uses of ter include:

1. Possession / relationships

   • Eu tenho três livros. – I have three books.
   • Ela tem dois irmãos. – She has two brothers.

2. Age (what English expresses with to be)

   • Tenho 20 anos. – I am 20 (years old).

3. As an auxiliary verb (have + past participle) in some tenses:

   • Tenho lido muito. – I have been reading a lot.

In your sentence, it’s the basic possession meaning.

Why is there no article between três and livros? Why not Eu tenho os três livros?

With a simple number plus a plural noun, you normally don’t use an article:

• Eu tenho três livros. – I have three books (some three books, not specified which).

If you say:

• Eu tenho os três livros. – I have the three books.

Now you’re talking about three specific books known to you and the listener (for example, three textbooks for one course).

So:

• no article = just counting books, non‑specific
• with definite article os/as = those particular books.

Why is it livros and not just livro?

Because três (three) is plural, so the noun must also be plural.

Basic plural rule for nouns ending in ‑o in Portuguese:

• singular: livro (book)
• plural: livros (books)

You normally add ‑s to form the plural:

• carro → carros
• amigo → amigos

Does três change for gender, like masculine vs feminine?

No. Três is the same for masculine and feminine:

• três livros (masculine) – three books
• três casas (feminine) – three houses

Among the basic numbers, only um / uma (one) and dois / duas (two) change for gender.
From três upward, numbers do not change gender.

What is the accent on três for, and how do I pronounce it?

The accent in três is an acute accent on ê (é sound but closed). It does two things:

1. Marks stress:

   • The stress must fall on três (it’s only one syllable, but the accent tells you it must be stressed and is not a clitic).

2. Shows vowel quality in European Portuguese:

   • ê is a closed e, roughly like e in English “they” but shorter.

Pronunciation in European Portuguese: /treʃ/

• tr‑ like tr in “tree” (but shorter)
• ê closed e
• final s is pronounced /ʃ/ (similar to sh in “she”)

How do I pronounce the nh in tenho?

Nh in Portuguese is a single consonant sound /ɲ/, very similar to:

• Spanish ñ as in niño
• The ny sound in English “canyon”

So tenho is pronounced approximately /ˈtɐɲu/ in European Portuguese:

• te‑: like tuh (with a reduced vowel /ɐ/)
• nh: ny in canyon
• ‑o at the end: usually a reduced u sound /u/

Altogether: TE-nyu (with ny said very quickly).

How do you pronounce the final s in livros?

In European Portuguese, a final s after a vowel is usually pronounced /ʃ/ (like sh in “shoe”).

So livros is pronounced roughly /ˈlivɾuʃ/:

• li‑ like lee
• v like English v
• ro with a tapped r and a reduced vowel (sounds close to ru)
• s = sh sound

So it ends more like “lee-vrush” than “lee-vross”.

Can I change the word order, like Eu três livros tenho?

No, not in normal, neutral speech.

The basic word order in Portuguese is Subject – Verb – Object, like English:

• Eu tenho três livros. – I have three books.

You can drop the subject pronoun (Tenho três livros.), but you don’t normally move words around in simple sentences like this.

Forms such as Eu três livros tenho would sound unnatural or poetic/very marked, not standard everyday speech.

Does Eu tenho três livros sound temporary, like “I’m holding” three books, or more like ownership?

By default, Eu tenho três livros expresses possession/ownership, not just holding something in your hands at that moment.

If you wanted to emphasize temporary physical possession, you would usually add more context:

• Eu tenho três livros aqui comigo. – I have three books with me (here, now).
• Estou com três livros. – I’m with three books / I have three books on me (temporary).

But Eu tenho três livros alone is interpreted as I own three books.

Is ter used for age, like saying “I have three years”?

Yes. In Portuguese you use ter to talk about age.

• Tenho 3 anos. – I am 3 years old.
• Ela tem 25 anos. – She is 25 (years old).

Your sentence Eu tenho três livros is about books, but the structure for age is similar: Ter + number + anos.

What is the difference between ter and haver? Could I say something like Eu hei três livros?

You cannot say Eu hei três livros. That is incorrect.

In modern European Portuguese:

• Ter is used for possession:

  • Eu tenho três livros. – I have three books.

• Haver is mainly used impersonally as há to mean there is / there are:

  • Há três livros na mesa. – There are three books on the table.

So:

• To say I have three books → Eu tenho três livros.
• To say There are three books → Há três livros.