The verb to have (tenho, tem)

The Verb "Ter" (To Have)

The irregular verb ter (to have) is used to talk about things you own.

PronounConjugation
eutenho
tutens
ele / ela / vocêtem
nóstemos
eles / elas / vocêstêm

Notice that the third-person singular form is tem, while the plural adds a circumflex accent: têm.

We have eleven books and twelve pens.
Nós temos onze livros e doze canetas.

To ask "how many," use quanto. It changes its ending to match the gender and number of the noun it describes (like quantos problemas).

How many problems do they have?
Quantos problemas têm eles?

Expressing Age

In Portuguese, you don't say you are a certain age; instead, you say you have years. To ask or talk about age, use ter followed by the number of years (anos).

How old are you?
Quantos anos tens?
You are eleven years old.
Tu tens onze anos.
I am twenty years old.
Eu tenho vinte anos.
They are seventeen years old, but they are eighteen.
Elas têm dezassete anos, mas eles têm dezoito anos.