La grama tica- grammar

La gramatica- grammar
The verb ‘to have’ (tener) in the present tense
The verb ‘tener’ (to have) is one of the most commonly used verbs in the Spanish
language.
You should memorize the different forms of this verb in the present tense, as it
will be extremely useful to you. Just as in English, the verb forms change
(conjugate) depending on the subject. The subject is the person ‘doing’ the action
that is expressed in the verb.
For example, in English, we say: I have a cat. He has a cat. We have a cat. She has
a cat. They have a cat. Notice how the form of ‘have’ changes, depending on
‘who’ is having the cat. The verb forms also change like this in Spanish.
The following are the different forms of the verb ‘tener’:
yo tengo
I have
tú tienes
You (singular/informal) have
él tiene
He has
ella tiene
She has
Usted tiene
You (singular/formal) have
nosotros tenemos
We have
vosotros tenéis
You (plural/informal) have * Spain only
ellos tienen
they (masculine/mix) have
ellas tienen
they (feminine) have
Ustedes tienen
you (plural (formal/ informal) have *Everywhere
‘To have’ or ‘to be’? That is the question.
In Spanish, there are a few common expressions in which the verb ‘tener’ (to
have) is used, but in the equivalent English expressions, the verb ‘to be’ would be
used instead.
For example:
In English, you would say ‘to be # years old’, whereas in Spanish, you ‘have a
certain number of years’.
I am fifteen years old = Yo tengo quince años. (Literally, ‘I have fifteen years’).
Here are some expressions that use ‘tener’ (to have) in this way:
Tener frío
= to be cold (ie: temperature)
Tener calor
= to be hot (ie: temperature)
Tener sed
= to be thirsty
Tener hambre
= to be hungry
Tener prisa
=to be in a rush
Tener suerte
= to be lucky
Tener # años
= to be # years old
Tener miedo
= to be afraid
* Note that ‘tener’ will conjugate depending on the subject of the sentence.
For example: Miguel tiene suerte. (Miguel is lucky)
Nosotros tenemos hambre. (We are hungry)
Yo tengo miedo. (I am afraid).
Tú tienes frío. (You are cold)