Irregular Verbs: Tener and Venir

The verbs tener (to have) and venir (to come) are two of the most important irregular verbs in Spanish. They belong to a special group known as "go verbs" because their yo form ends in -go. Beyond their irregular conjugation, tener is used in many everyday expressions that work differently from English.

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Tener (To Have)

Conjugation

Subject	Conjugation	Notes
yo	tengo	Irregular -go ending
tu	tienes	Stem change: e → ie
el / ella / usted	tiene	Stem change: e → ie
nosotros / nosotras	tenemos	Regular
vosotros / vosotras	teneis	Regular
ellos / ellas / ustedes	tienen	Stem change: e → ie

Tener combines two irregularities: a -go ending in the yo form and an E→IE stem change in the boot forms.

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Uses of Tener

1. Possession

The most basic use of tener is to express ownership or possession:

• Tengo un coche rojo. — I have a red car.
• Ella tiene tres hermanos. — She has three siblings.
• Tenemos una casa grande. — We have a big house.

2. Age

In Spanish, you have years rather than being years old:

• Tengo veinticinco anos. — I am 25 years old. (Literally: I have 25 years.)
• ?Cuantos anos tienes? — How old are you? (Literally: How many years do you have?)
• Mi abuela tiene ochenta anos. — My grandmother is 80 years old.

Important: This is one of the most common mistakes English speakers make. Never say "Soy veinticinco anos" — always use tener.

3. Physical and Emotional States

Spanish uses tener for many states that English expresses with "to be":

Spanish	English	Literal Translation
tener hambre	to be hungry	to have hunger
tener sed	to be thirsty	to have thirst
tener frio	to be cold	to have cold
tener calor	to be hot	to have heat
tener sueno	to be sleepy	to have sleepiness
tener miedo	to be afraid	to have fear
tener prisa	to be in a hurry	to have hurry
tener razon	to be right	to have reason
tener suerte	to be lucky	to have luck
tener cuidado	to be careful	to have care

Examples:

• Tengo hambre. — I am hungry.
• Ella tiene frio. — She is cold.
• Tenemos prisa. — We are in a hurry.
• Tienes razon. — You are right.

4. Obligation: Tener que + Infinitive

Tener que followed by an infinitive expresses obligation ("to have to"):

• Tengo que estudiar. — I have to study.
• Tienes que comer mas verduras. — You have to eat more vegetables.
• Tenemos que salir temprano. — We have to leave early.

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Venir (To Come)

Conjugation