Spanish Verbs
Tener Conjugation
Tener is a Spanish irregular ER verb meaning "to have". Irregular verbs are verbs which do not follow the standard conjugation patterns of Spanish regular verbs.
Tener is ranked on the 100 Most Used Spanish Verbs Poster as the #4 most used irregular verb.
Present Tense
Past Tenses
Future Tenses
Subjunctive Tenses
Further Reading
100 Most Used Spanish Verbs Poster w/ Study Guide
A selection of the most used irregular and regular Spanish verb conjugations. A must have for anyone who wants to learn Spanish!
Tener Conjugation
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tengo | I have |
| Tú | tienes | You have |
| Él/Ella/ |
tiene | He/She has |
| Nosotros | tenemos | We have |
| Vosotros | tenéis | You (plural) have |
| Ellos/ |
tienen | They have |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Tener Participio
The Participio or Past Participle of Tener is tenido. This is used to form the Tener Present Perfect and the Tener Past Perfect.
Tener Gerundio
The Gerundio or Present Participle of Tener is teniendo. This is used to form the Tener Present Continuous.
Tener Present Continuous
The Present Continuous (presente progresivo or presente continuo) is used to describe actions that are happening right now or around now. To form the present continuous tense, combine the Estar conjugation with the Tener Gerundio (or Present Participle).
Example: Él está siendo muy egoísta últimamente. (He is being very selfish lately.)
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy teniendo | I am having |
| Tú | estás teniendo | You are having |
| Él/Ella/ |
está teniendo | He/She is having |
| Nosotros | estamos teniendo | We are having |
| Vosotros | estáis teniendo | You (plural) are having |
| Ellos/ |
están teniendo | They are having |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topTener Past Tense
Spanish has several past tenses, each serving a specific purpose to express actions in the past.
Additionally, the use of Spanish past tenses can vary significantly across regions due to cultural and linguistic differences.
These are some of the most commonly used Spanish past tenses:
Tener Preterite
The Preterite Tense (Pretérito or Indefinido) is used for completed actions in the past that have a clear beginning or end.
Example: Ayer comí pizza. (Yesterday, I ate pizza).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tuve | I had |
| Tú | tuviste | You had |
| Él/Ella/ |
tuvo | He/She had |
| Nosotros | tuvimos | We had |
| Vosotros | tuvisteis | You (plural) had |
| Ellos/ |
tuvieron | They had |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topTener Imperfect
The Imperfect Tense (Imperfecto) describes ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past, often without a defined start or end.
Example: Cuando era niño, jugaba fútbol todos los días. (When I was a child, I used to play soccer every day).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tenía | I used to have |
| Tú | tenías | You used to have |
| Él/Ella/ |
tenía | He/She used to have |
| Nosotros | teníamos | We used to have |
| Vosotros | teníais | You (plural) used to have |
| Ellos/ |
tenían | They used to have |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topTener Present Perfect
The Present Perfect Tense (Presente Perfecto) is used to describe actions that have been completed recently or have relevance to the present moment. The Present Perfect Tense is formed by combining the Present Tense of the auxiliary verb Haber Conjugation with the Tener Participio.
Example: He leído ese libro. (I have read that book).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he tenido | I have had |
| Tú | has tenido | You have had |
| Él/Ella/ |
ha tenido | He/She has had |
| Nosotros | hemos tenido | We have had |
| Vosotros | habéis tenido | You (plural) have had |
| Ellos/ |
han tenido | They have had |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topTener Past Perfect
The Past Perfect Tense (Pluscuamperfecto) refers to actions completed before another action in the past. The Past Perfect Tense is formed by combining the Imperfect Tense of the auxiliary verb Haber Conjugation with the Tener Participio.
Example: Había comido antes de salir. (I had eaten before leaving).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había tenido | I had had |
| Tú | habías tenido | You had had |
| Él/Ella/ |
había tenido | He/She had had |
| Nosotros | habíamos tenido | We had had |
| Vosotros | habíais tenido | You (plural) had had |
| Ellos/ |
habían tenido | They had had |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topTener Future Tense
The Future Tense (Futuro) is used to describe actions or events that will happen in the future. It often expresses certainty or plans about what is yet to come.
Example: Mañana comeré pizza. (Tomorrow, I will eat pizza).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tendré | I will have |
| Tú | tendrás | You will have |
| Él/Ella/ |
tendrá | He/She will have |
| Nosotros | tendremos | We will have |
| Vosotros | tendréis | You (plural) will have |
| Ellos/ |
tendrán | They will have |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topTener Conditional Tense
The Conditional Tense (Condicional) is used to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, or actions that depend on other conditions. It is often used in combination with the Future Tense.
Example: Me gustaría un café, por favor.(I would like a coffee, please).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tendría | I would have |
| Tú | tendrías | You would have |
| Él/Ella/ |
tendría | He/She would have |
| Nosotros | tendríamos | We would have |
| Vosotros | tendríais | You (plural) would have |
| Ellos/ |
tendrían | They would have |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topTener Subjunctive
The Subjunctive Tense (Subjuntivo) is used to express doubt, uncertainty, desire, or emotion. It is often used in dependent clauses introduced by specific conjunctions or verbs.
Example: Espero que seas feliz. (I hope you are happy).
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tenga | I have |
| Tú | tengas | You have |
| Él/Ella/ |
tenga | He/She has |
| Nosotros | tengamos | We have |
| Vosotros | tengáis | You (plural) have |
| Ellos/ |
tengan | They have |
* Irregular forms are highlighted in red
Back to topSpanish Regular Verbs
A verb is called a regular verb when its conjugation follows a consistent and predictable pattern. In contrast, a verb that does not follow these standard patterns is called an irregular verb. In Spanish, the three regular conjugation patterns are based on the verb endings: -AR, -ER, and -IR.
Spanish Conjugation Chart
Looking for more Spanish verbs like Tener? Check out our Spanish Conjugation Chart, the 100 Most Used Spanish Verbs Poster!
