Tener Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson, Exercises, and PDF

One of the most essential verbs in Spanish is tener, or “to have.” This word will get you through numerous situations, from asking a question to sharing your age to saying you need to do something. 

Just because this verb is extremely common doesn’t mean that it follows the regular Spanish conjugation rules, however. The tener conjugation has several irregularities but nothing too complicated! Today, we will take a look at all the moods and tenses of tener and then put that information into practice with some exercises. ¡Vamos a conjugar!

A Quick Review of Tener

As you may know, there are two verbs that mean “to have” in Spanish: tener and haber. Haber is usually used as a helping verb (for example: I have studied), while the usage of tener is more extensive. Here are some common ways to use tener in Spanish:

• When you physically have an object
  • Do you have the document? – ¿Tienes el documento?
  • We have 5 cats. – Tenemos 5 gatos.
• When you have something abstract
  • I have a hunch. – Yo tengo un presentimiento.
  • They have an idea. – Ellos tienen una idea.
• To say “to be” in certain situations 
  • I am 30 years old. – Yo tengo 30 años.
  • She is very cold. – Ella tiene mucho frío.
• In compound verb phrases expressing that you “have to do” something
  • Sorry, I have to leave. – Lo siento, tengo que irme.
  • We have to finish the book soon. – Tenemos que terminar el libro pronto.

Now that you know when to use tener, it’s time to look at how to use the tener conjugations.

The Complete Guide to Tener Conjugation

The tener conjugations are irregular in every tense except one. However, there are two main patterns to look out for that will help you memorize the irregular conjugations: adding a “g” to create a base of teng- and changing the “en” to “uv” to create the base tuv-. Look for each of these patterns in the following conjugations!

Tener Conjugation: Indicative Mood

Of the five different tenses of the indicative mood, only one has a regular tener conjugation – the imperfect. If you would like to learn more about what regular conjugations look like or other irregular verbs that are conjugated in a similar way to tener, click on the links.

Stem-Changing

In the present simple tense, the tener conjugations follow the pattern of a stem-changing verb. The main vowel changes from an “e” to an “ie” in the second and third person forms. The nosotros form is conjugated regularly, as is the rule for stem-changing verbs, but the yo form is irregular as a “g” is added to the base (this is the first time you’ll see the “g” pattern in the tener conjugation!).

Past Simple

The past simple tener conjugation is the perfect example of the “uv” pattern. Every form has the tuv- base, and the endings are regular except for the yo, usted, and él/ella conjugations. Instead of the regular -í ending for the yo form, add just an “e” with no accent (tuve). For the third person singular conjugations, instead of the regular -ió, just add an “o,” again with no accent mark (tuvo).

Conditional and Future

These tener conjugations are irregular in the same way: add a “dr” to the base to make tendr-. Apart from that additional letter in all forms, the endings are regular. (Tendría)

Tener Conjugation: Subjunctive Mood

Do you remember our two main patterns of the tener conjugation? Both of them come into play in these next two tenses.

Subjunctive Changes

In each of these tenses, the base verb changes according to the two patterns previously mentioned. Apart from those stem changes that occur in every form, the endings are regular. 

It is important to note that there are two other tenses of the subjunctive mood (another past tense form and a future conjugation). However, the future subjunctive is hardly ever used, and the past form given above is much more common than the other one.

Tener Conjugation: Imperative Mood

Irregularities

Each imperative form is again irregular. However, every form (except the affirmative tú) uses the base teng– which we’ve seen in numerous other tenses. For the affirmative tú form, it is completely irregular by only using the base ten-. 

Compound Tener Conjugations

In addition to the above tenses, there are just as many compound tener conjugations. The difference with these forms is that there are only two forms of tener used; the helping verbs are the ones that change with the pronouns. The two compound verbs are:

1. Conjugation of haber + past participle of tener
   • The past participle of tener is tenido.
2. Conjugation of estar + gerund form of tener
   • The gerund form of tener is teniendo.

• Ella no ha tenido tiempo para terminar. – She hasn’t had time to finish.
• Ellos han tenido la misma maestra por 3 años. – They have had the same teacher for 3 years.
• ¿Estás teniendo una reacción adversa a la medicina? – Are you having an adverse reaction to the medicine?
• Mi esposa y yo estamos teniendo algunos problemas. – My wife and I are having some problems. 

Common Verb Phrases with Tener

One of the most common ways to use tener in Spanish is as a verb phrase to express necessity. 

Conjugation of tener + que + infinitive verb

Tengo que llamarlo otra vez. – I have to call him again.
Tenemos que buscar la computadora. – We have to look for the computer.
Ella tiene que trabajar ahora. – She has to work now.

Exercises with Tener Conjugation

Now that we have reviewed the complete tener conjugation, it’s time to practice! Be sure to check your responses using the answer key at the bottom of the post. Happy conjugating!

1. Identify the tense and pronoun of each tener conjugation.
   
   1. Tuviste
   2. Tengamos
   3. Ten
   4. Tienes
   5. Tendría
   6. Tenga
   7. Tendrán
   8. Teníamos 
   9. No tengan
   10. Tuvieras
       
2. Conjugate tener in the tense given.
   
   1. Nosotros – past subjunctive
   2. Ellos – future
   3. Yo – present simple
   4. Ustedes – imperfect
   5. Tú – past simple
   6. Él – present subjunctive
   7. Usted – imperative, negative
   8. Ella – conditional
   9. Tú – imperative, affirmative
   10. Ellas – past simple
       
3. Find and correct the error in the tener conjugation.
   
   1. Ella tene una pregunta.
   2. ¡Tenemos irnos ya!
   3. Lo tendramos para mañana, te lo prometo.
   4. ¿Has tienido tiempo para terminar el proyecto?
   5. Ella tuvio un muy mal día.
   6. Tendía cuatro años cuando mi hermanito nació.
   7. Tienan paciencia, por favor.
   8. Si tuviero un millón de dólares, compraría una casa nueva.
   9. Yo tiengo algunas preguntas para el nuevo jefe.
   10. ¿Quieres que tenguemos la fiesta en nuestra casa?
       
4. State whether the following is verdadero or falso.
   
   1. Tener is a mostly regular verb.
   2. There are two main patterns that tener follows in irregular conjugations.
   3. Tieniendo is the gerund form of tener.
   4. Tener is often followed by the word de to form a verb phrase.
   5. The one regular tener conjugation is the imperfect tense.
   6. Tenido is the past participle of tener.
   7. There are only two subjunctive tenses.
   8. Tener can be paired with haber and ser to form a compound verb.
   9. There are two verbs in Spanish that mean “to have.”
   10. Tener can never be translated as “to be.”
       
5. Fill in the blank with the correct form of tener.
   
   1. Ellos ___________ 19 años cuando se graduaron. (imperfect)
   2. Ella ___________ que salir temprano ayer. (past simple)
   3. ¡ ___________ miedo! (ustedes – imperative, negative)
   4. Nosotros ___________ una habitación en alquiler. (present simple)
   5. Espero que usted ___________ todo el dinero. (present subjunctive)
   6. Hemos ___________ hambre por horas. (past participle)
   7. ___________ que llenar un formulario. (tú – conditional)
   8. Disculpe, ¿___________ un lapicero que me preste? (usted – present simple)
   9. Ella está ___________ dificultades con la nueva tecnología. (gerund)
   10. ¿Qué harían si ___________ tiempo ilimitado? (past subjunctive)
       
6. Translate the following sentences to English.
   
   1. ¿Tienes lo que te pedí?
   2. Tengo que decirte algo.
   3. Teníamos conejos como mascotas cuando éramos niños.
   4. Si tuviera más tiempo, estudiaría más español.
   5. ¡Ten el mío! Ya no lo necesito.
   6. Ella tendrá la respuesta muy pronto.
   7. Espero que tengas más tiempo libre.
   8. Él está teniendo problemas con su carro.
   9. ¿Tuvieron una fiesta ayer?
   10. No he tenido tiempo para trabajar en eso.

Keep Up the Practice!

Great job with those exercises! If you have any questions or would like more examples of the tener conjugations, try a free trial class with the Homeschool Spanish Academy! Our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers will take your conjugating skills to the next level and offer real-life conversational practice, too. Sign up today and see how it works for yourself! ¡Tienes que experimentarlo! 

Want more free Spanish learning resources? Check out these posts!

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1: Tú – past simple, 2: nosotros – present subjunctive, 3: tú – imperative, affirmative, 4: tú – present simple, 5: yo, usted, él, or ella – conditional, 6: usted – imperative, affirmative OR yo, usted, él, or ella – present subjunctive, 7: ustedes, ellos – future, 8: nosotros – imperfect, 9: ustedes, ellos – imperative, negative, 10: tú – past subjunctive

Exercise 2

1: tuviéramos, 2: tendrán, 3: tengo, 4: tenían, 5: tuviste, 6: tenga, 7: no tenga, 8: tendría, 9: ten, 10: tuvieron

Exercise 3

1: Ella tiene una pregunta, 2: ¡Tenemos que irnos ya! 3: Lo tendremos para mañana, te lo prometo, 4: ¿Has tenido tiempo para terminar el proyecto? 5: Ella tuvo un muy mal día, 6: Tenía cuatro años cuando mi hermanito nació, 7: Tengan paciencia, por favor, 8: Si tuviera un millón de dólares, compraría una casa nueva, 9: Yo tengo algunas preguntas para el nuevo jefe, 10: ¿Quieres que tengamos la fiesta en nuestra casa?

Exercise 4

1: falso – it is a mostly irregular verb, 2: verdadero, 3: falso – it is teniendo, 4: falso – it is often followed by que, 5: verdadero, 6: verdadero, 7: falso – there are four, but two are not commonly used, 8: falso – it can be paired with haber and estar, 9: verdadero, 10: falso – it can be translated as “to be” in several situations, such as with age, hunger, and heat.

Exercise 5

1: tenían, 2: tuvo, 3: No tengan, 4: tenemos, 5: tenga, 6: tenido, 7: Tendrías, 8: tiene, 9: teniendo, 10: tuvieran

Exercise 6

1: Do you have what I asked for? 2: I have to tell you something, 3: We had rabbits for pets when we were kids, 4: If I had more time, I would study more Spanish, 5: Have mine! I don’t need it anymore, 6: She will have the answer very soon, 7: I hope you have more free time, 8: He is having problems with his car, 9: Did they have a party yesterday? 10: I haven’t had time to work on that.

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Ashley Reid

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I have a B.A. in Linguistics and a passion for Spanish. I've lived in Latin America for almost a decade. I'm a freelance writer and ESL teacher, as well as a loving mom and wife. In my free time, I dabble in art and music.

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