Teñir Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb teñir means to dye, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Teñir means to dye: teñir el pelo de rojo, teñir la tela de azul. The colour goes after de: teñir el pelo de rojo, not en rojo. Like every Spanish verb, teñir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo tiño el pelo de rojo — "I dye her hair red". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiño, tiñes, tiñe and tiñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: teñimos, teñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: tiñió, tiñieron, and the gerund is tiñiendo.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: teñir
  • English: to dye
  • Verb type: stem-changing -ir verb (e → i)
  • Ending: -ir
  • Gerund: tiñiendo
  • Past participle: teñido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + teñido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for teñir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for teñir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tiño | | tú | tiñes | | él/ella/Ud. | tiñe | | nosotros/as | teñimos | | vosotros/as | teñís | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiñen |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | teñí | | tú | teñiste | | él/ella/Ud. | tiñió | | nosotros/as | teñimos | | vosotros/as | teñisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiñieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | teñía | | tú | teñías | | él/ella/Ud. | teñía | | nosotros/as | teñíamos | | vosotros/as | teñíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | teñían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | teñiré | | tú | teñirás | | él/ella/Ud. | teñirá | | nosotros/as | teñiremos | | vosotros/as | teñiréis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | teñirán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | teñiría | | tú | teñirías | | él/ella/Ud. | teñiría | | nosotros/as | teñiríamos | | vosotros/as | teñiríais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | teñirían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he teñido | | tú | has teñido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha teñido | | nosotros/as | hemos teñido | | vosotros/as | habéis teñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han teñido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había teñido | | tú | habías teñido | | él/ella/Ud. | había teñido | | nosotros/as | habíamos teñido | | vosotros/as | habíais teñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían teñido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré teñido | | tú | habrás teñido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá teñido | | nosotros/as | habremos teñido | | vosotros/as | habréis teñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán teñido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría teñido | | tú | habrías teñido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría teñido | | nosotros/as | habríamos teñido | | vosotros/as | habríais teñido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían teñido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tiña | | tú | tiñas | | él/ella/Ud. | tiña | | nosotros/as | tiñamos | | vosotros/as | tiñáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiñan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | tiñiera | | tú | tiñieras | | él/ella/Ud. | tiñiera | | nosotros/as | tiñiéramos | | vosotros/as | tiñierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiñieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tiñe | | él/ella/Ud. | tiña | | nosotros/as | tiñamos | | vosotros/as | teñid | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiñan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | tiñas | | él/ella/Ud. | tiña | | nosotros/as | tiñamos | | vosotros/as | tiñáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | tiñan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund tiñiendo with estar for the progressive: está tiñiendo
Past participle teñido with haber for the perfect tenses: he teñido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiño, tiñes, tiñe and tiñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: teñimos, teñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: tiñió, tiñieron, and the gerund is tiñiendo. For teñir, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo tiño el pelo de rojo — "I dye her hair red".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. In this tense the stem changes in the third person: tiñió, tiñieron. The gerund changes too: tiñiendo. For teñir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo teñí la tela de azul — "Yesterday, I dyed the fabric blue".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For teñir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo teñía una camiseta en casa — "As a child, I used to dye a T-shirt at home".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For teñir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo teñiré el cabello con henna — "Tomorrow, I will dye her hair with henna".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For teñir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo teñiría el pelo de rojo si pudiera — "I would dye her hair red if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For teñir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he teñido la tela de azul — "Today, I have dyed the fabric blue".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For teñir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había teñido una camiseta en casa antes de salir — "I already had dyed a T-shirt at home before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For teñir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré teñido el cabello con henna — "By tomorrow, I will have dyed her hair with henna".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For teñir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría teñido el pelo de rojo con más tiempo — "I would have dyed her hair red with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiño, tiñes, tiñe and tiñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: teñimos, teñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: tiñió, tiñieron, and the gerund is tiñiendo. For teñir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él tiña la tela de azul — "I hope he dyes the fabric blue".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is irregular — see the table above. For teñir, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo tiñiera una camiseta en casa, todo cambiaría — "If I dyed a T-shirt at home, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiño, tiñes, tiñe and tiñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: teñimos, teñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: tiñió, tiñieron, and the gerund is tiñiendo. For teñir, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Tiñe el cabello con henna. — "Dye her hair with henna.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiño, tiñes, tiñe and tiñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: teñimos, teñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: tiñió, tiñieron, and the gerund is tiñiendo. For teñir, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No tiñas el pelo de rojo. — "Do not dye her hair red.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with teñir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Yo tiño el pelo de rojo — "I dye her hair red"
  2. Mi amigo tiñe la tela de azul — "My friend dyes the fabric blue"
  3. Ayer, yo teñí una camiseta en casa — "Yesterday, I dyed a T-shirt at home"
  4. Antes, nosotros teñíamos el cabello con henna — "Before, we used to dye her hair with henna"
  5. Mañana, tú teñirás la lana para el jersey — "Tomorrow, you will dye the wool for the jumper"
  6. Yo teñiría el pelo de rojo si tuviera más tiempo — "I would dye her hair red if I had more time"
  7. Él ha teñido la tela de azul — "He has dyed the fabric blue"
  8. Espero que él tiña una camiseta en casa — "I hope he dyes a T-shirt at home"
  9. Yo ya había teñido el cabello con henna antes de salir — "I already had dyed her hair with henna before leaving"
  10. Ellos teñían la lana para el jersey cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to dye the wool for the jumper when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo teño la tela de azul. — Right: Yo tiño la tela de azul. — teñir is a stem-changing verb (e → i): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is tiño, not teño.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él tiñe la tela de azul — Right: Espero que él tiña la tela de azul — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él tiña la tela de azul — not the indicative Espero que él tiñe la tela de azul.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo tiño una camiseta en casa — Right: Ayer, yo teñí una camiseta en casa — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo teñí una camiseta en casa.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo teñí el cabello con henna todos los días — Right: De niño, yo teñía el cabello con henna todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo teñía el cabello con henna todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo tiño en el pelo de rojo. — Right: Yo tiño el pelo de rojo. — teñir takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo tiño el pelo de rojo.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on teñir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el pelo de rojo — "I dye her hair red" (present) A. tiñe B. teñimos C. tiño D. tiñes

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la tela de azul — "He dyed the fabric blue" (preterite) A. tiñió B. teñí C. teñiste D. teñimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ una camiseta en casa — "We used to dye a T-shirt at home" (imperfect) A. teñíamos B. teñía C. teñías D. teñíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el cabello con henna — "You will dye her hair with henna" (future) A. teñirá B. teñiremos C. teñirás D. teñiré

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la lana para el jersey — "I would dye the wool for the jumper" (conditional) A. teñiríais B. teñiría C. teñirías D. teñiríamos

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el pelo de rojo — "I hope he dyes her hair red" (present subjunctive) A. tiñamos B. tiñáis C. tiña D. tiñas

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ la tela de azul, todo cambiaría — "If I dyed the fabric blue, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. tiñiera B. tiñieras C. tiñiéramos D. tiñierais

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ una camiseta en casa — "We have dyed a T-shirt at home" (present perfect) A. ha teñido B. hemos teñido C. he teñido D. has teñido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el cabello con henna. — "Do not dye her hair with henna." (negative imperative) A. tiñamos B. tiñáis C. tiñas D. tiña

  10. Which is the gerund of teñir, used with estar for the progressive? A. teñí B. tiñiendo C. teñido D. tiño

Answer key

  1. tiño — The present form for yo is tiño.
  2. tiñió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is tiñió.
  3. teñíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is teñíamos.
  4. teñirás — The future form for tú is teñirás.
  5. teñiría — The conditional form for yo is teñiría.
  6. tiña — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is tiña.
  7. tiñiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is tiñiera.
  8. hemos teñido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos teñido.
  9. tiñas — The negative imperative form is tiñas.
  10. tiñiendo — The gerund of teñir is tiñiendo: estoy tiñiendo. The participle teñido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does teñir mean in English?

teñir means to dye. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo tiño el pelo de rojo — "I dye her hair red". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is teñir regular?

No. teñir is a stem-changing -ir verb (e → i). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: tiño, tiñes, tiñe and tiñen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: teñimos, teñís. In the preterite the third-person forms change too: tiñió, tiñieron, and the gerund is tiñiendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of teñir?

The gerund is tiñiendo and the past participle is teñido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I dye" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo teñí la tela de azul — "Yesterday, I dyed the fabric blue". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo teñía una camiseta en casa — "As a child, I used to dye a T-shirt at home". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he teñido la tela de azul — "Today, I have dyed the fabric blue".

What is the difference between teñir and pintar?

Pintar is to paint a surface. Teñir is to dye a material so the colour soaks in, such as hair, fabric or wool. Teñir means to dye: teñir el pelo de rojo, teñir la tela de azul. The colour goes after de: teñir el pelo de rojo, not en rojo.

Related links