
tener Conditional Conjugation
tener — to have
The conditional uses the irregular stem 'tendr-': tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían.
tener Conditional Forms
When to Use the Conditional
Use the conditional for 'would have' scenarios, polite requests, or to express probability about a past event.
Notes on tener in the Conditional
Like the future tense, the conditional uses the irregular stem 'tendr-' instead of the infinitive.
Example Sentences
Yo tendría un coche si tuviera dinero.
I would have a car if I had money.
yo
¿Tendrías tiempo para ayudarme?
Would you have time to help me?
tú
Tendríamos que hablar con el jefe.
We would have to speak with the boss.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'tenería'.
Correct: The correct form is 'tendría'.
Why: The stem must change to 'tendr-' before adding the conditional endings.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: tengo
Tener is a 'yo-go' verb with an e-ie stem change: tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen.
Preterite
yo: tuve
The preterite of tener is highly irregular with a 'uv' stem: tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron.
Imperfect
yo: tenía
Tener is completely regular in the imperfect: tenía, tenías, tenía, teníamos, teníais, tenían.
Future
yo: tendré
Tener uses the irregular stem 'tendr-': tendré, tendrás, tendrá, tendremos, tendréis, tendrán.
Present Subjunctive
yo: tenga
The present subjunctive is based on the 'tengo' stem: tenga, tengas, tenga, tengamos, tengáis, tengan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: tuviera
This tense uses the 'tuvier-' stem: tuviera, tuvieras, tuviera, tuviéramos, tuvierais, tuvieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ten
The command forms are irregular: ten (tú), tenga (usted), tened (vosotros), tengan (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no tengas
Negative commands use the present subjunctive: no tengas, no tenga, no tengamos, no tengáis, no tengan.