Expresiones con
TENER
Idiomatic expressions with the verb "to have"
In Spanish, we don't "be" cold or hungry... we "have" cold and hunger! Discover the secret to expressing your age, physical sensations, and feelings like a native speaker.
Conoce al verbo TENER
A very important (and slightly rebellious) verb!
The verb TENER means "to have", but in Spanish, we use it for much more than just possessions. It is an irregular verb, which means it doesn't follow the normal rules. Let's look at its forms in the present tense:
| Pronombre (Pronoun) | Verbo (Verb) | Inglés (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | tengo | I have |
| Tú | tienes | You have (informal) |
| Él / Ella / Usted | tiene | He / She / You (formal) has |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | tenemos | We have |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | tenéis | You all have (Spain) |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | tienen | They / You all have |
Teacher's Tip: Notice the spelling!
The "yo" form adds a "G" (tengo). And for tú, él/ella/usted, and ellos/ellas/ustedes, the "E" changes to "IE" (tienes, tiene, tienen). But nosotros and vosotros stay regular!
El secreto de TENER
Forget the verb "to be"!
In English, you use the verb "to be" to express physical states (like I am cold or I am hungry). But in Spanish, we don't "be" these things; we possess them! We use the verb TENER (to have) followed by a noun. Literally, you are saying "I have cold" or "I have hunger".
Incorrecto: Yo soy frío.
Yo estoy frío.
Don't translate literally from English!
Correcto: Yo tengo frío.
Correct! (Literally: I have cold = I am cold).
Teacher's Tip:
Because we use nouns (hunger, cold, thirst) with TENER, we cannot use muy
(very). We must use mucho (a lot of / much).
Example: Tengo mucho frío (I am very cold / Literally: I have a
lot of cold).
¿Cuántos años tienes?
In Spanish, you collect years, you are not your years!
To express age in Spanish, we never use the verb "to be" (ser/estar). Instead, we state how many years we have.
Sujeto + TENER + [número] + años
¿Cuántos años tienes?
How old are you?
Tengo veinte años.
I am twenty years old.
Pablo tiene dos años.
Tengo 33 años.
¿Cómo se dice en español: "My sister is
15 years old"?
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Mi hermana tiene 15 años.
¡Tengo hambre y tengo sed!
Expressing basic physical needs.
Remember our secret! In Spanish, you don't "be" hungry or thirsty. Your body possesses these physical states.
Tener hambre
to be hungry
Literally: to have hungerTener sed
to be thirsty
Literally: to have thirst¡Qué calor! La temperatura es de 88 grados. ¡Yo tengo sed!
(It's so hot, 88 degrees! I'm thirsty!).
Nosotros no comemos desde ayer. ¡Tenemos hambre!
(We haven't eaten since yesterday. We are hungry!).
Quick Quiz
It is 1:00 PM, it's time for lunch and you smell delicious pizza. What do you say in Spanish?
Temperatura y Cansancio
Expressing how your body feels.
Just like hunger and thirst, in Spanish we "have" heat, cold, and sleepiness. If you use the verb "estar" (to be) here, it sounds very strange to native speakers!
Tener frío
to be cold
Literally: to have coldTener calor
to be hot
Literally: to have heatTener sueño
to be sleepy
Literally: to have sleepinessLa abuela siempre tiene frío pero nunca lleva chaqueta.
(Grandma is always cold but never wears a jacket).
En general, los bebés tienen sueño después de comer.
(Generally, babies are sleepy after eating).
Usted no lleva suéter y la temperatura es de 45 grados Fahrenheit. ¡Usted tiene frío!
(You are not wearing a sweater and it's 45 degrees. You are cold!).
Quick Quiz
You are at the beach in the middle of summer and the sun is very strong. How do you feel?
Emociones y Estados
Expressing how you feel inside.
We also use TENER to express psychological sensations and states of being. Just like physical sensations, you "possess" these feelings in Spanish!
Tener miedo (a/de)
to be afraid (of)
Literally: to have fearTener prisa
to be in a hurry
Literally: to have hasteTener cuidado
to be careful
Literally: to have cautionEl niño tiene miedo a las abejas.
(The boy is afraid of bees).
Son las 9:50 AM y la clase es a las 10:00 AM. ¡Yo tengo prisa por llegar!
(It is 9:50 AM and class is at 10:00 AM. I am in a hurry to arrive!).
¡Ten cuidado! Hay hielo en la acera.
(Be careful! There is ice on the sidewalk).
Quick Quiz
You wake up late and your bus leaves in 5 minutes! What do you say in Spanish? ⏰
¡Tienes razón y tienes suerte!
Expressing luck, being right, and desires.
Here are three more very common expressions with TENER that native Spanish speakers use all the time!
Tener razón
to be right / correct
Literally: to have reasonTener suerte
to be lucky
Literally: to have luckTener ganas de + [inf]
to feel like [doing sth]
Literally: to have desires of2 + 2 son 4. ¡Tú tienes razón!
(2 + 2 is 4. You are right!).
Nunca gano nada, no tengo suerte.
(I never win anything, I am not lucky).
Yo tengo ganas de comer chocolate.
(I feel like eating chocolate).
Quick Quiz
Your friend says that the capital of Spain is Madrid. What do you say to them?
¡Cuidado! MUCHO vs. MUY
Why we say "mucho frío" and never "muy frío".
Remember our big secret from Slide 3? Words like frío, calor, hambre, and sueño are nouns (things you possess), not adjectives. Because they are nouns, we must use mucho (a lot of / much) to describe them. We can NEVER use muy (very) with these expressions!
Incorrecto
- Tengo muy frío.
- (Literally: I have very cold).
- Tenemos muy sueño.
- (Literally: We have very sleepiness).
Correcto
- Tengo mucho frío.
- (I am very cold / Literally: I have a lot of cold).
- Tenemos mucho sueño.
- (We are very sleepy / Literally: We have a lot of sleepiness).
Teacher's Tip:
Because it's a noun, "mucho" has to match the gender! We say mucho frío (masculine) but we say mucha hambre and mucha sed (feminine).
How do you say "I am very afraid" in Spanish?
¡A practicar!
Read the situation and choose the correct expression.
Complete each sentence with the correct form of TENER + the correct feeling. Then click Comprobar to check your answers.
Contexto 1
Usted no lleva suéter y la temperatura es de 45 grados Fahrenheit.
¡Usted !
Contexto 2
Son las 9:50 AM y la clase es a las 10:00 AM.
¡Yo por llegar!
Contexto 3
Nosotros corremos 5 kilómetros bajo el sol.
Nosotros .
Contexto 4
Es mediodía y no he comido nada desde el desayuno.
¡Yo !
Contexto 5
Hace 35 °C y usted está en la calle sin sombra.
¡Usted !
Contexto 6
Son las 11 de la noche y no paramos de bostezar.
Nosotros .
¡A Hablar! / Let's Talk!
Work with a partner. Ask and answer these questions using the verb TENER.
¿Cuántos años tienes?
"Yo tengo ____________ años."
Click for hint
En invierno, ¿tienes mucho frío?
"Sí, tengo mucho frío." / "No, no tengo frío."
Click for hint
¿De qué tienes miedo?
"Tengo miedo de ____________."
Click for hint
¿Tienes ganas de estudiar español hoy?
"Sí, tengo ganas." / "No, no tengo ganas."
Click for hint
¡Excelente trabajo hoy!
Excellent job today!
TUCANEO
Spanish Academy
Español A1
Módulo 2 · Expresiones con TENER
Tarea final / Final Homework
El Desafío Tucaneo — The Tucaneo Challenge
Completa la historia con la forma correcta de TENER y escribe tus propias oraciones. Luego imprime o envía al profesor.
1 La historia de Tito el Tucán / Tito the Toucan's Story
Instructions: Read the story about our mascot, Tito. Choose the correct "TENER" expression from the dropdowns to complete the blanks.
Word Bank
¡Felicitaciones por completar la clase!
Congratulations on finishing the lesson!