Tener expressions
Type the missing word in each sentence. You hear each sentence read by a native voice.
para ir a casa.
I am in a hurry to go home.
The rule
" In English you say "I am hungry"; in Spanish you say tengo hambre, literally "I have hunger." The same pattern covers age, fear, cold, heat, and several other everyday expressions. Once you recognise it, a large set of common phrases clicks into place.
The pattern
Use tener followed by a noun. Spanish says "I have hunger," "I have fear," and "I have thirty years."
Present tense: yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella/usted tiene, nosotros/nosotras tenemos, ustedes/ellos/ellas tienen.
Common expressions: tener hambre, sed, sueño, miedo, calor, frío, razón, prisa, cuidado, ganas de + infinitive, suerte. These normally have no article before the noun: tengo hambre, tengo sed.
Use tener + number + años for age: tengo treinta años.
Use tener que + infinitive for "have to": tengo que salir.
To say "very," use mucho/mucha, not muy. Muy goes with adjectives and with adverbs, the words that say how something is done (rápido, bien). Mucho goes with nouns. Since hambre is a feminine noun: tengo mucha hambre.
Examples
- Tengo hambre.I am hungry.
- Ella tiene sueño.She is sleepy.
- Tengo frío.I am cold.
- Él tiene miedo.He is afraid.
- Tenemos mucha hambre.We are very hungry.
- Tienes razón.You are right.
- Tengo treinta años.I am thirty years old.
- Tengo que trabajar mañana.I have to work tomorrow.
Watch out
- Estoy hambre. Tengo hambre.Spanish uses tener, not estar, for hunger.
- Tengo muy hambre. Tengo mucha hambre.Hambre is a noun, so use mucha, not muy.
- Soy treinta años. Tengo treinta años.Spanish says you "have" years, not that you "are" years.
- Soy frío (meaning you feel cold). Tengo frío.Soy frío means "I am a cold person" (personality), not that you feel cold.