Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Tenho pena que não venhas. - I am sorry that you are not coming.

The phrase ter pena que expresses an emotion or personal feeling. In Portuguese, phrases expressing emotion followed by que force the next verb into the subjunctive mood. So, the normal present tense vens changes to the present subjunctive venhas.

Does ter pena literally mean to be sorry?

Literally, ter pena means to have pity or to have sorrow. It is the most natural way to express that you feel bad or disappointed about a situation, much like saying it is a shame or I am sorry in English.

How do I know venhas comes from the verb vir (to come) and not ver (to see)?

The present subjunctive of vir (to come) is built from its first-person present form venho (I come), giving us venhas for the tu form. The verb ver (to see) is built from vejo (I see), making its subjunctive form vejas. They look similar but are often mixed up!

Could I add the word tu to this sentence?

You could say Tenho pena que tu não venhas, but native speakers usually leave the pronoun out. The -s ending on venhas already makes it perfectly clear that you are talking to tu (the informal you).