If you have already learned some Spanish, you probably know that the Spanish verb tener [to have] means to hold or own an object.
• ¡Cuidado, tiene una pistola! [Be careful, he has a gun!]
• Mi primo tiene dos coches. [My cousin has two cars.]

However it is often used together with different nouns in a wide range of expressions. Some of them are similar to their equivalent expressions in English, but others are unique to Spanish.

In this lesson we are going to learn some Spanish expressions with the verb tener that will help you understand the different possible uses of this verb.

And, by the way, we will also learn when to use alternative verbs to avoid very common mistakes among Spanish learners.

1. Expressing Relations with People and Animals with the Spanish Verb Tener

Although we don't actually think we own other people (and many people don't feel like they own animals either), it is very normal to use tener with nouns that express our relation to other humans or animals. Some examples are:

• tener amigos [to have friends]

• tener hijos [to have children]

• tener hermanos [to have syblings]

• tener primos [to have cousins]

• tener novio / novia [to have a boyfriend / girlfriend]

• tener invitados [to have guests]

• tener visita [to have visitorse / guests]

• tener un profesor / una profesora [to have a teacher]

• tener una mascota [to have a pet]

Let's see some example sentences:

• Juan tiene muchos amigos. [Juan has many friends.]

• Mi hermana tiene dos hijas. [My sister has two daughters.]

• Silvia tiene un hermano y una hermana. [Silvia hast a brother and a sister.]

• Creo que mi primo no tiene novia. [I think that my cousin doesn't have a girlfriend.]

• Este fin de semana tendremos invitados en casa. [This weekend we will have some guests at home.]

• Mi tía tiene una profesora de violín muy joven. [My aunt has a very young violin teacher.]

• Tú tienes un gato y dos perros, ¿verdad? [You have a cat and two dogs, right?]

2. Speaking about Body Parts with Tener

When we refer to someone's body parts, we normally use the verb tener instead of using possesive adjectives.

So, in Spanish, instead of saying things like:

• Sus ojos son azules. [His / Her eyes are blue.]

• Mi pelo es liso . [My hair is straight.]

We would normally say:

• Tiene los ojos azules. [He / She has blue eyes.]

• Tengo el pelo liso. [I have straight hair.]

Notice how, in Spanish, we normally use articles before the noun.
• Esa corredora tiene las piernas muy largas. [That runner has very long legs.]
• Tengo un pie más grande que el otro. [One of my feet is bigger than the other.]

3. Expressing Body States and Sensations with Tener

We also use tener with nouns that express a state or a sensation related to someone's body.

• tener calor [to be (feel) hot]

• tener frío [to be cold]

• tener fiebre [to have a fever]

• tener una enfermedad [to have an illness]

• tener dolor (de) [to have pain]

• tener sueño [to be sleepy]

• tener hambre [to be hungry]

• tener sed [to be thirsty]

Here are some examples:

• El bebé tiene hambre. [The baby is hungry.]

• No abras la ventana; tengo frío. [Don't open the window; I am cold.]

• Ayer no estudié porque tenía dolor de cabeza. [I didn't study yesterday because I had a headache.]

• Tenemos ganas de verte. [We are looking forward to seeing you.]

4. Expressing Emotions with Tener

We also use tener with some nouns that express feelings and emotions

• tener miedo (de) [to be afraid (of)]

• tener envidia (de) [to be envious (of)]

• tener celos (de) [to be jelous (of)]

• tener ganas (de) [to feel like / to look forward to]

• tener prisa [to be in a hurry]

• tener paciecia [to be pacient]

Here are some examples:

• Dices eso porque tienes envidia. [You say that because you are envious.]

• Tenemos ganas de verte. [We are looking forward to seeing you.]

• Vi a Laura, pero no la saludé porque tenía prisa . [I saw Laura, but I didn't greet her because I was in a hurry.]

5. Expressing Other Abstract Concepts with Tener

There are also many abstract nouns that we use with the Spanish verb tener. For example:

• tener un compromiso [to have a commitment]

• tener cuidado (con) [to be careful with]

• tener derecho (a) [to have the right to]

• tener experiencia [to have experience]

• tener una idea [to have an idea]

• tener interés (en) [to be interested in]

• tener lugar [to take place]

• tener la obligación (de) [to have an obligation to]

• tener personalidad [to have personality]

• tener una pregunta [to have a question]

• tener un problema [to have a problem]

• tener que + infinitivo [to have to + infinitive]

• tener que ver (con) [to be related to]

• tener suerte [to be lucky]
tener buena suerte [to have good luck]
tener mala suerte [to have bad luck]

• tener razón [to be right]

• tener trabajo [to have work]

Let's see some examples:

• Ten cuidado con ese jarrón; es muy frágil. [Be careful with that vase; it is very fragile.]

• El concierto tuvo lugar en el auditorio municipal. [The concert took place in the city hall.]

• Tienes que seguir practicando. [You have to continue practicing.]

• Tenemos la obligación de ayudarlos. [We have an obligation to help them.]

• Sara sabía que tenía razón. [Sara knew she was right.]

6. Expressing Events to Attend with Tener

Nouns that describe events are also used with tener to express that they are planned or we must attend them.

• tener una cita (con) [to have an appointment with]

• tener un compromiso [to have an appointment we can't avoid]

• tener clase [to have class]

• tener un examen [to have an exam]

• tener una fiesta [to have a party]

• tener una reunión [to have a meeting]

Let's see some examples:

• No puedo ir a tu fiesta; tengo un compromiso con un cliente. [I can't go to your party; I have an appointment with a customer.]

• El domingo me acosté pronto porque el lunes tenía un examen. [I went to bed early on Sunday because I had an exam on Monday.]

• Mañana tengo una reunión. [I have a meeting tomorrow.]

7. Expressing Time and Age with Tener

With the Spanish verb tener, we can not only express whether we have available time or not, but also how old someone or something is.

• tener tiempo (para) [to have time to / for]

• tener tiempo libre [to have free time]

• tener ... años [to be ... years old]

• tener ... meses [to be ... months old]

Here are some examples:

• Ahora no tengo tiempo para hablar. [I don't have time to talk now]

• Mi hermana tiene siete años. [My sister is seven years old.]

• Cuando nuestra casa se quemó, solo tenía diez meses. [When our house burned, it was only ten months old.]

8. Using Tener Instead of Estar

In all the examples we have studied, tener expresses the existence of someone or something related to other people or things. Because of that, we can use tener [to have] instead of estar [to be] in cases when we would use estar to express a situation together with an adjective. This way we are also expressing the mentioned relation to people or things.

Let's see some examples:

• María tiene una pierna rota. [María has a broken leg.]

• Mi vecino tiene un hijo en el ejército. [My neigbour has a son in the army.]

• ¿Por qué tienes la puerta abierta? [Why is the door open?]

• No podemos ir porque tenemos el coche estropeado. [We can't go because our car is broken.]

9. When to Avoid the Spanish Verb Tener

There are some cases in which we don't use tener although the verb to have is used in their English equivalents.

Don't use tener when you mean drinking or eating. Use tomar [to take] instead.

• Me gustaría tomar café. [I would like to have some coffee.]

• Vamos a tomar unas cervezas. [Let's have some beers]

Don't use tener when you mean throwing a party. Use dar [to give] or celebrar [to celebrate] instead.

• Vamos a dar una fiesta en mi casa el sábado. [We are having a party at my place on Saturday.]

And remember that we don't use tener to form the Spanish Present Perfect Tense but haber [to be].

• Ana ha viajado a muchos países. [Ana has traveled to many countries.]

• Nosotros no habíamos estado aquí nunca. [We had never been here before.]

I hope that you have now learned some new ways of using the Spanish verb tener that will help you express yourself better in Spanish.

If you have questions, requests or suggestions, don't hesitate to ask.