The Verb Tener in Spanish: Conjugation and 15 Everyday Expressions

If you learn only a handful of Spanish verbs, tener has to be one of them. It means "to have" — but the reason it matters so much is that Spanish reaches for tener in dozens of situations where English uses "to be": you don't say "I am hungry," you say "I have hunger."

The short version: tener is irregular — memorise tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen. Then learn the fixed expressions (tener hambre, tener años, tener que…), because that's where 90% of its real use lives.

Conjugation (present tense)

Notice the stem change e → ie in most forms (tiene), but not in yo (tengo) or nosotros/vosotros. That pattern repeats in many Spanish verbs, so it's worth getting comfortable with here.

The expressions that matter

These are fixed — Spanish uses tener + noun where English uses "to be" + adjective:

tener hambre — to be hungry · tener sed — to be thirsty · tener frío / calor — to be cold / hot · tener sueño — to be sleepy · tener miedo — to be afraid · tener prisa — to be in a hurry · tener razón — to be right · tener suerte — to be lucky · tener ganas de — to feel like (doing something).

Age uses tener, not "to be"

¿Cuántos años tienes? — literally "How many years do you have?" → How old are you? And you answer Tengo veinticinco años (I'm 25). Saying soy 25 is a classic beginner slip.

Obligation: tener que + infinitive

This is how you say "have to / must": Tengo que estudiar (I have to study), Tienes que ir (You have to go). One of the most useful structures in the language.

How to lock it in

Don't memorise a list — say three true sentences about yourself right now: Tengo hambre. Tengo que trabajar. Tengo ganas de un café. These verbs sit at the centre of everyday speech, right next to the core words in the 100 most common Spanish words, and pair naturally with the present tense you're already building.