An In-Depth Look at the 'Tener' Conjugation Chart in Spanish

The Spanish verb ‘tener’ translates to ‘to have’ in English and is one of the most commonly used verbs in the Spanish language. However, ‘tener’ is an irregular verb, making its conjugation a bit more challenging to learn. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the conjugation of ‘tener’ across various tenses and moods, enhancing your understanding and proficiency in Spanish.

• Tener in the Present Tense
• Tener in the Preterite Tense
• Tener in the Imperfect Tense
• Tener in the Future Tense
• Tener in the Conditional Tense
• Tener in the Subjunctive Mood
• Common Phrases with Tener

Tener in the Present Tense

In the present tense, ‘tener’ is an ‘e’ to ‘ie’ stem-changing verb. The conjugation is as follows:

Person	Spanish
I have	Yo tengo
You (informal) have	Tú tienes
He/She/It has/You (formal) have	Él/Ella/Usted tiene
We have	Nosotros/Nosotras tenemos
You (plural, informal) have	Vosotros/Vosotras tenéis
They have/You (plural, formal) have	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tienen

Tener in the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense of ‘tener’ has an irregular conjugation pattern:

Person	Spanish
I had	Yo tuve
You (informal) had	Tú tuviste
He/She/It had/You (formal) had	Él/Ella/Usted tuvo
We had	Nosotros/Nosotras tuvimos
You (plural, informal) had	Vosotros/Vosotras tuvisteis
They had/You (plural, formal) had	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tuvieron

Tener in the Imperfect Tense

In the imperfect tense, ‘tener’ reverts to its regular ‘-er’ conjugation pattern:

Person	Spanish
I had	Yo tenía
You (informal) had	Tú tenías
He/She/It had/You (formal) had	Él/Ella/Usted tenía
We had	Nosotros/Nosotras teníamos
You (plural, informal) had	Vosotros/Vosotras teníais
They had/You (plural, formal) had	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tenían

Tener in the Future Tense

In the future tense, ‘tener’ has an irregular root (tendr-). Here’s the conjugation:

Person	Spanish
I will have	Yo tendré
You (informal) will have	Tú tendrás
He/She/It will have/You (formal) will have	Él/Ella/Usted tendrá
We will have	Nosotros/Nosotras tendremos
You (plural, informal) will have	Vosotros/Vosotras tendréis
They will have/You (plural, formal) will have	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tendrán

Tener in the Conditional Tense

‘Tener’ keeps its irregular root (tendr-) in the conditional tense:

Person	Spanish
I would have	Yo tendría
You (informal) would have	Tú tendrías
He/She/It would have/You (formal) would have	Él/Ella/Usted tendría
We would have

Nosotros/Nosotras tendríamos
You (plural, informal) would have	Vosotros/Vosotras tendríais
They would have/You (plural, formal) would have	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tendrían

Tener in the Subjunctive Mood

The present subjunctive mood of ‘tener’ is a ‘e’ to ‘ie’ stem-changing verb:

Person	Spanish
I have	Yo tenga
You (informal) have	Tú tengas
He/She/It has/You (formal) have	Él/Ella/Usted tenga
We have	Nosotros/Nosotras tengamos
You (plural, informal) have	Vosotros/Vosotras tengáis
They have/You (plural, formal) have	Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tengan

Common Phrases with Tener

1. Tengo hambre: I am hungry. (Literally: I have hunger.)
2. Ella tiene veinte años: She is twenty years old. (Literally: She has twenty years.)
3. Tenemos que irnos: We have to go.

In conclusion, mastering the conjugation of ‘tener’ is a crucial aspect of Spanish language learning due to its frequency of use. Despite its irregularities, with constant practice, you’ll soon find the patterns of this verb easier to remember. Happy learning!