Tener in the Present: Age, Possessions, and Basic Needs

Using tener in the present tense

The verb tener means “to have,” and it is one of the most useful verbs in everyday Spanish. In this lesson, you will use tener for three core functions: saying someone’s age, talking about possessions, and expressing basic physical needs such as hunger, thirst, cold, and heat.

You have already seen Tengo ... años. — I am ... years old. as a complete phrase. Now you will learn the present-tense forms of tener so you can use the verb with different subjects.

Present-tense forms of tener

Subject	Tener	Example
yo — I	tengo — have	Tengo un libro. — I have a book.
tú — you	tienes — have	Tienes una casa. — You have a house.
él — he	tiene — has	Él tiene un café. — He has a coffee.
ella — she	tiene — has	Ella tiene una habitación. — She has a room.
usted — you	tiene — have	Usted tiene un hotel. — You have a hotel.
nosotros / nosotras — we	tenemos — have	Tenemos dos libros. — We have two books.
vosotros / vosotras — you	tenéis — have	Tenéis tres cafés. — You have three coffees.
ellos / ellas — they	tienen — have	Ellos tienen una casa. — They have a house.
ustedes — you	tienen — have	Ustedes tienen dos habitaciones. — You have two rooms.

The forms are tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, and tienen. — have / has. The first-person form tengo is irregular, so learn it as part of the full pattern.

Using tener to say your age

Spanish uses tener, not ser, to express age. The basic pattern is tener + number + años — years.

• Tengo veintidós años. — I am twenty-two years old.
• Tienes treinta años. — You are thirty years old.
• Ella tiene cuarenta años. — She is forty years old.
• Tenemos veinticinco años. — We are twenty-five years old.

Do not translate the English structure word for word. English says “I am twenty-two,” but Spanish says Tengo veintidós años. — I am twenty-two years old., literally using “have.”

Asking someone’s age with tener

Use ¿Cuántos años tienes? — How old are you? when speaking informally to one person.

Person A: ¿Cuántos años tienes? — How old are you?

Person B: Tengo treinta y dos años. — I am thirty-two years old.

With usted — you, use tiene:

¿Cuántos años tiene usted? — How old are you?

The number changes, but the structure stays the same: tener + age + años.

Using tener for possessions

Tener also expresses possession: who has an object or thing.

• Tengo un libro. — I have a book.
• Tienes dos libros. — You have two books.
• Ella tiene una casa. — She has a house.
• Tenemos un hotel. — We have a hotel.
• Ellos tienen tres habitaciones. — They have three rooms.

The form of tener changes with the subject, while the object tells you what the person has.

Using tener for hunger and thirst

Spanish also uses tener in several common expressions that English usually builds with “to be.” Two essential examples are tener hambre — to be hungry and tener sed — to be thirsty.

• Tengo hambre. — I am hungry.
• Tengo sed. — I am thirsty.
• Tienes hambre. — You are hungry.
• Ella tiene sed. — She is thirsty.

Do not translate “I am hungry” as a sentence with ser. In Spanish, the natural pattern is Tengo hambre. — I am hungry.

Using tener for feeling cold or hot

Spanish commonly uses tener frío — to be cold and tener calor — to be hot when describing a person’s physical sensation.

• Tengo frío. — I am cold.
• Tengo calor. — I am hot.
• Tenemos frío. — We are cold.
• Ellos tienen calor. — They are hot.

These expressions describe how the person feels physically. Keep them as complete patterns with tener rather than translating English “be” directly.

Keeping ser and tener separate for age

You already use ser for identity, origin, and occupation. Age is different.

• Soy estudiante. — I am a student.
• Soy de Canadá. — I am from Canada.
• Tengo veinticinco años. — I am twenty-five years old.

Use ser for the identity functions you have learned, but use tener for age. Avoid a direct English transfer such as using soy with a number for age.

Using tener in short everyday exchanges

Tener works naturally in simple conversations about personal information and basic needs.

Person A: ¿Cuántos años tienes? — How old are you?

Person B: Tengo veintiocho años. — I am twenty-eight years old.

Person A: ¿Tienes agua? — Do you have water?

Person B: Sí. Tengo agua. — Yes. I have water.

Person A: ¿Tienes hambre? — Are you hungry?

Person B: Sí. Tengo hambre. — Yes. I am hungry.

For now, treat these questions as direct applications of the tener forms you have learned.

From tener to spelling names and unfamiliar words

You can now use tener to state age, possessions, hunger, thirst, cold, and heat, while keeping those meanings separate from the functions of ser. The next lesson focuses on the Spanish alphabet so you can spell names and unfamiliar words accurately.