4.2.10
Uses of 'Tener'
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Uses of 'Tener'

Possession
- You can use 'tener' to show that someone owns or has something in Spanish.
- Tengo tres hermanas.
- I have three sisters.
- Ellos tienen un coche rojo.
- They have a red car.

Age
- In Spanish, you do not say 'I am 10 years old', you say 'I have 10 years'.
- ¿Cuántos años tienes?
- How old are you?
- Tengo once años.
- I am 11 years old.

Hungry or thirsty
- In Spanish, you don’t say ‘I am hungry’ or ‘I’m thirsty’.
- In Spanish you say ‘I have hunger’ or ‘I have thirst’.
- Flora tiene hambre.
- Flora is hungry.
- Tengo sed.
- I am thirsty.

Obligation
- You can use 'tener' and an infinitive to express obligation.
- Tengo que estudiar mucho.
- I have to study a lot.
1You, Family & Home
1.1Introducing Yourself & Being Polite
1.2Looks & Personality
1.3My Family & I
1.4Days, Months & Time
2School & Jobs
3Free Time
4Grammar
4.2Important Irregular Verbs
4.3Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
4.4Verbs in the Immediate Future
4.5Negatives
4.6Nouns
4.7Adjectives
4.8Prepositions
4.9Questions
4.10Conjunctions
Jump to other topics
1You, Family & Home
1.1Introducing Yourself & Being Polite
1.2Looks & Personality
1.3My Family & I
1.4Days, Months & Time
2School & Jobs
3Free Time
4Grammar
4.2Important Irregular Verbs
4.3Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
4.4Verbs in the Immediate Future
4.5Negatives
4.6Nouns
4.7Adjectives
4.8Prepositions
4.9Questions
4.10Conjunctions
Practice questions on Uses of 'Tener'
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1How do you say 'She has to leave early' in Spanish?Multiple choice
- 2What's wrong with the boy in the picture?Multiple choice
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