Tengo una canción.

I have a song.

Breakdown of Tengo una canción.

• yo: I
• tener: to have
• una: a
• la canción: the song

Questions & Answers about Tengo una canción.

Why do we say Tengo instead of Tiene or Tienes?

Tengo is the first-person singular form (for "I") of the verb tener in Spanish. Tiene is used for "he/she/it" or the formal "you," and tienes is for the informal "you."

Is it correct to drop Yo before Tengo?

Yes. In Spanish, the subject (like yo) is often omitted because the verb ending already indicates who is performing the action. Saying Yo tengo is not wrong, but native speakers commonly just say Tengo.

Why is it una canción and not un canción?

The noun canción is feminine in Spanish, so it must be paired with the feminine article una. If it were masculine, such as un libro, you'd use un instead.

How do I know that canción is feminine?

Many nouns ending in -ión in Spanish are feminine (like canción, nación, estación). Memorizing or practicing common patterns will help you determine each noun’s gender.

Does Tengo una canción mean I must do something with a song?

No. In Spanish, tengo on its own means "I have." To express "I must," you need tengo que (for example, tengo que cantar means "I have to sing"). So Tengo una canción just means you possess or have a song, not that you must do anything with it.