¡Sí puedo! Can-Do Statements
Recognize and understand the use of the irregular verbs tener and venir.
Verbos tener (tener + que) y venir
The verbs tener (to have) and venir (to come) are special in the sense that they have an irregular yo form and also have a change of e –>ie in their stem.
 tener (to have) |
|
| (stem: ten; irregular yo-form; stem-vowel change) | |
| singular | plural |
| yo tengo |
nosotros tenemos |
| tú tienes |
vosotros tenéis |
| él tieneella tieneusted tiene |
ellos tienenellas tienenustedes tienen |
(Note: “hablar” has an /-en/ ending in the sign because it is a command form. You will learn commands in a later course…)
miedo = fear, porque = because
- María tiene una clase de psicología a las dos de la tarde. (María has a psychology class at 2:00 p.m.)
-
¿Cuántos lápices tienes en tu mochila? (How many pencils do you have in your backpack?)
Tener + noun for physical conditions
Several idiomatic expressions combine forms of tener with certain nouns to express some physical conditions of people; these are expressed with “to be” in English, so you’ll have to pay close attention to the Spanish way of saying them.
- Tener calor = to be/feel hot temperature-wise (literally, “to have heat”)
- Tener frío = to be/feel cold
- Tener hambre = to be hungry
- Tener miedo = to be afraid
- Tener prisa = to be in a hurry
- Tener sed = to be thirsty
- Tener vergüenza = to be embarrassed
- Tener ganas de = to be in the mood for; to feel like
- Tener razón = to be right
- No tener razón = to be wrong
Tener años (to express age)
To give age in Spanish, use the correct conjugation of the verb tener + number + años:
- ¿Cuántos años tienes? (How old are you?)
- Tengo 22 años. (I am 22 years old./I am 22.)
- Tengo trece años. (I am 13 years old./I am 13.)
- ¿Cuántos años tiene él? (How old is he?)
- Tiene ochenta y siete años. (He is 87 years old./ He is 87.)
- ¿Cuántos años tienen? (How old are they?)
Note: in English, you can leave off “years old” and just say “I am 22,” but in Spanish, you must include the word años.
The verb tener doesn’t just mean “to have” in the sense of possession: it is also used when we try to convey something that we have to do, following the structure: tener + que + infinitive.
- Este semestre yo tengo que estudiar mucho. (This semester I have to study a lot.)
- Esteban tiene que hacer la tarea para su clase de literatura. (Esteban has to do the homework for his literature class.)
- Nosotros tenemos que hablar con nuestra profesora de español. (We have to speak with our Spanish professor.)
Venir
The verb venir means “to come”, and it has the same irregularities as tener when conjugated in the present tense. But it doesn’t have so many idiomatic uses!
| venir (to come) | |
| (stem: ven; irregular yo-form; stem-vowel change) | |
| singular | plural |
| yo vengo |
nosotros venimos |
| tú vienes |
vosotros venís |
| él vieneella vieneusted viene |
ellos vienenellas vienenustedes vienen |
- Ellos vienen a la universidad todos los días. (They come to the university every day.)
- ¿A qué hora vienes a la clase de español? (At what time do you come to Spanish class?)
