Quick answer
tener means to have, possess. Use tener in full sentences, paying attention to the pronoun and the ending that matches it.
Present tense conjugation of tener
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | tengo |
| tú | tienes |
| él/ella/usted | tiene |
| nosotros | tenemos |
| ellos/ustedes | tienen |
Practice tener in real sentences
Try the sentence loop, then use the compact reference below to review each example in one place.
Sentence 1 of 20
yo
Yo ___ un telescopio para observar las estrellas.
tener sentence examples
These examples keep the full practice text visible for review: match the pronoun, fill in the blank, then check the answer and translation.
| Pronoun | Sentence | Answer | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | Yo ___ un telescopio para observar las estrellas. | tengo | I have a telescope to observe the stars. |
| yo | Yo ___ una cita con el dentista mañana. | tengo | I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. |
| yo | Yo ___ mucha hambre. | tengo | I am very hungry. |
| yo | Yo ___ dos hermanas. | tengo | I have two sisters. |
| tú | Tú ___ talento para tocar la guitarra. | tienes | You have talent for playing guitar. |
| tú | Tú ___ una gran capacidad para resolver conflictos. | tienes | You have a great ability to resolve conflicts. |
| tú | Tú ___ un carro nuevo. | tienes | You have a new car. |
| tú | Tú ___ razón en eso. | tienes | You are right about that. |
| él/ella/usted | Él ___ mucho trabajo hoy. | tiene | He has a lot of work today. |
| él/ella/usted | La biblioteca ___ miles de libros antiguos. | tiene | The library has thousands of old books. |
| él/ella/usted | Ella ___ treinta años. | tiene | She is thirty years old. |
| él/ella/usted | El jardín ___ flores de muchos colores. | tiene | The garden has flowers of many colors. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ boletos para el concierto de rock. | tenemos | We have tickets for the rock concert. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ un huerto orgánico en el patio. | tenemos | We have an organic garden in the yard. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ una reunión a las tres. | tenemos | We have a meeting at three. |
| nosotros | Nosotros ___ suerte de estar aquí. | tenemos | We are lucky to be here. |
| ellos/ustedes | Los osos polares ___ una gruesa capa de grasa. | tienen | Polar bears have a thick layer of fat. |
| ellos/ustedes | Ustedes ___ que estudiar más. | tienen | You all have to study more. |
| ellos/ustedes | Ustedes ___ la oportunidad de viajar al extranjero. | tienen | You all have the opportunity to travel abroad. |
| ellos/ustedes | Ellos ___ tres hijos. | tienen | They have three children. |
Common mistake
A common mistake is memorizing tener as a list of forms without practicing it in context. Verbito examples help connect each form to a real sentence.