Conjugations › Spanish › tener

tener

to have

Spanish Irregular
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The Spanish verb "tener" means "to have" in English. It is an irregular verb. Below you'll find the complete conjugation tables for "tener" across all 5 tenses.

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Present Past (completed) Past (ongoing) Future Would (conditional)
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Lexi
Lexi's Memory Hack

TENER has a "g" in the yo form: TENGO. Think: "I TENd to be the one who's GOt everything" → TEN-GO.

Tener also stem-changes (tienes, tiene, tienen) in present. And its preterite is completely irregular: tuve, tuviste, tuvo…

How to Conjugate "tener" in the Present Tense

Presente de indicativo Actions happening now or regularly
Person English Conjugation
yo I tengo
tú you (informal) tienes
él/ella/usted he/she/you (formal) tiene
nosotros we tenemos
vosotros you all (Spain) tenéis
ellos/ustedes they/you all tienen
Ella tiene un coche nuevo.
She has a new car.

How to Conjugate "tener" in the Past (completed) Tense

Pretérito perfecto simple Actions that finished in the past
Person English Conjugation
yo I tuve
tú you (informal) tuviste
él/ella/usted he/she/you (formal) tuvo
nosotros we tuvimos
vosotros you all (Spain) tuvisteis
ellos/ustedes they/you all tuvieron
Él tuvo mucho trabajo ayer.
He had a lot of work yesterday.

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How to Conjugate "tener" in the Past (ongoing) Tense

Pretérito imperfecto Actions that were ongoing in the past
Person English Conjugation
yo I tenía
tú you (informal) tenías
él/ella/usted he/she/you (formal) tenía
nosotros we teníamos
vosotros you all (Spain) teníais
ellos/ustedes they/you all tenían
Ella tenía una casa azul.
She had a blue house.

How to Conjugate "tener" in the Future Tense

Futuro simple Actions that will happen
Person English Conjugation
yo I tendré
tú you (informal) tendrás
él/ella/usted he/she/you (formal) tendrá
nosotros we tendremos
vosotros you all (Spain) tendréis
ellos/ustedes they/you all tendrán
Él tendrá una reunión hoy.
He will have a meeting today.

How to Conjugate "tener" in the Would (conditional) Tense

Condicional simple Hypothetical actions
Person English Conjugation
yo I tendría
tú you (informal) tendrías
él/ella/usted he/she/you (formal) tendría
nosotros we tendríamos
vosotros you all (Spain) tendríais
ellos/ustedes they/you all tendrían
Él tendría mucho dinero.
He would have a lot of money.
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Frequently Asked Questions About "tener"

Is "tener" regular or irregular in Spanish?
"Tener" is an irregular Spanish verb, meaning its conjugation does not follow standard patterns and must be memorized individually.
What does "tener" mean in English?
The Spanish verb "tener" means "to have" in English.
How do you conjugate "tener" in the present tense?
In the present tense (Presente de indicativo): yo → tengo, tú → tienes, él/ella/usted → tiene, nosotros → tenemos, vosotros → tenéis, ellos/ustedes → tienen.
How many tenses does "tener" have in Spanish?
"Tener" is conjugated across 5 tenses in Spanish: Present, Past (completed), Past (ongoing), Future, Would (conditional).

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