Tener Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

tener — to have — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Tener means to have, and it carries far more idioms than its English cousin: tener hambre (to be hungry), tener frío (to be cold), tener razón (to be right), tener que + infinitive (to have to). It also expresses age — tengo veinte años — and possession of all kinds. On this page you will find tener in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself.

Example sentences with tener

In the present tense

  • “Yo tengo dos hermanos.” — “I have two siblings.”
  • “Ella tiene mucho trabajo hoy.” — “She has a lot of work today.”
  • “Nosotros tenemos una casa grande.” — “We have a big house.”
  • “Ellos tienen veinte años.” — “They are twenty years old.”
  • “¿Tú tienes hambre?” — “Are you hungry?”
  • “Vosotros tenéis razón, como siempre.” — “You are right, as always.”

In the preterite

  • “Ayer yo tuve una reunión importante.” — “Yesterday I had an important meeting.”
  • “Ella tuvo fiebre la semana pasada.” — “She had a fever last week.”
  • “Nosotros tuvimos suerte con el tiempo.” — “We were lucky with the weather.”
  • “Ellos tuvieron miedo durante la tormenta.” — “They were afraid during the storm.”
  • “¿Tú tuviste tiempo para ayudarme?” — “Did you have time to help me?”
  • “El examen tuvo lugar a las nueve.” — “The exam took place at nine.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect — the four tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “De niño, yo tenía mucho trabajo en la oficina.” — “As a child, I used to have a lot of work at the office.”
  • “Mañana, yo tendré mucho trabajo en la oficina.” — “Tomorrow, I will have a lot of work at the office.”
  • “Si pudiera, yo tendría mucho trabajo en la oficina.” — “If I could, I would have a lot of work at the office.”
  • “Yo he tenido mucho trabajo en la oficina.” — “I have had a lot of work at the office.”

Tener in context

Cada día, yo tengo mucho trabajo en la oficina. Mi amigo también tiene mucho trabajo en la oficina cuando tiene tiempo. Después, yo tengo mucho trabajo de nuevo por la tarde. Es una parte normal de mi rutina, y por eso el presente de tener es la primera forma que conviene aprender.

Ayer, yo tuve mucho trabajo en la oficina. Mi amigo tuvo mucho trabajo en la oficina también, y por la noche yo tuve mucho trabajo otra vez. Fue un día normal, pero es justo en días así cuando el pretérito de tener aparece una y otra vez: una acción terminada, un momento concreto, y la historia sigue.

Common mistakes with tener

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo tengo veinte años — learners say soy veinte años.

Right: Yo tengo veinte años.

Age in Spanish uses tener, never ser.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Tú tenes razón — wrong stem.

Right: Tú tienes razón.

Tener is a go-verb with an e → ie stem change: tienes, not tenes.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem instead of the changed stem.

Right: Use the changed stem in the stressed forms: tengo.

The e → ie stem change applies to tener in the present — the yo form is tengo, not the infinitive stem.

Mistake 4

Wrong: Treating tener as a regular verb.

Right: Learn the irregular forms: present tengo, preterite tuve.

tener is irregular — its present and preterite do not follow the regular endings, so they have to be memorised as a set.

Quiz: tener in everyday use

Ten questions on tener across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of tener in the present tense?

  • A) tengo
  • B) tienes
  • C) tiene
  • D) tenemos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is tengo.

2. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tener in the present tense?

  • A) tengo
  • B) tienes
  • C) tenemos
  • D) tiene

Answer: D — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is tiene.

3. What is the yo form of tener in the preterite?

  • A) tuvo
  • B) tuvimos
  • C) tuve
  • D) tuviste

Answer: C — The yo form in the preterite is tuve.

4. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of tener in the preterite?

  • A) tuvo
  • B) tuvieron
  • C) tuve
  • D) tuviste

Answer: B — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite is tuvieron.

5. What is the yo form of tener in the imperfect?

  • A) tenía
  • B) tenías
  • C) tenía
  • D) teníamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the imperfect is tenía.

6. What is the tú form of tener in the future?

  • A) tendré
  • B) tendrá
  • C) tendremos
  • D) tendrás

Answer: D — The tú form in the future is tendrás.

7. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of tener in the conditional?

  • A) tendrías
  • B) tendríamos
  • C) tendría
  • D) tendría

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional is tendría.

8. What is the nosotros/as form of tener in the present perfect?

  • A) ha tenido
  • B) hemos tenido
  • C) he tenido
  • D) has tenido

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present perfect is hemos tenido.

9. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ dos hermanos.” (I have two siblings.)

  • A) tengo
  • B) tienes
  • C) tiene
  • D) tenemos

Answer: A — The sentence needs tengo.

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo tengo veinte años.
  • B) Yo tengo veinte años — learners say soy veinte años.

Answer: A — Age in Spanish uses tener, never ser.

Frequently asked questions

What does tener mean?

tener means “to have” in English. Tener means to have, and it carries far more idioms than its English cousin: tener hambre (to be hungry), tener frío (to be cold), tener razón (to be right), tener que + infinitive (to have to). It also expresses age — tengo veinte años — and possession of all kinds.

Is tener regular?

No. tener is an e → ie stem-changing irregular -er verb (irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative). It is irregular in present, preterite, future, conditional, present-subjunctive, imperfect-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative, and those forms have to be learnt as a set rather than built by rule. The full conjugation page shows every tense.

When do I use tener in the past — preterite or imperfect?

Use the preterite — tuve, tuviste, tuvo — for a finished action at a specific moment, and the imperfect — tenía, tenías, tenía — for what was happening, what used to happen, or the background. The same rule applies to tener as to every Spanish verb; the tense changes the meaning, not the verb.

How can I practise tener?

Start with the examples above, say them aloud, then take the quiz on this page. For more practice, use the Spanish Verb Quiz and the Tener Conjugator, and read the full conjugation page for tener to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo tengo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo tuve…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo tendré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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