Word
Tengo cierta duda sobre la lección.
Meaning
I have a certain doubt about the lesson.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Tengo cierta duda sobre la lección.
Why does the sentence use tengo (from tener) instead of something with estar or ser to talk about a doubt?
In Spanish, many things that are states or feelings in English (using to be or to feel) are expressed with tener (to have).
Examples:
- Tengo hambre. – I am hungry. (literally: I have hunger.)
- Tengo frío. – I am cold.
- Tengo miedo. – I am afraid.
- Tengo una duda. – I have a question / doubt.
So Tengo cierta duda… literally means I have a certain doubt…, but functionally it’s like saying I’m a bit unsure… or I have a question….
Using estoy dudando sobre la lección (I am doubting the lesson) would sound more like you don’t believe the lesson is true, which is usually not what a student wants to say.
What nuance does cierta add to duda? Why not just say Tengo una duda?