tener Imperfect Conjugation
tener — to have
Tener is completely regular in the imperfect: tenía, tenías, tenía, teníamos, teníais, tenían.
tener Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe age in the past, ongoing states of being, or physical sensations that lasted for an indefinite time.
Notes on tener in the Imperfect
Despite being irregular in almost every other tense, tener is 100% regular in the imperfect.
Example Sentences
Cuando era niño, tenía un perro.
When I was a child, I had a dog.
yo
Teníamos mucha sed después de correr.
We were very thirsty after running.
nosotros
Ellos tenían que salir temprano.
They had to leave early.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using the preterite 'tuve' to say 'I was 10 years old'.
Correct: Use 'tenía 10 años'.
Why: Age is considered a background state or description in the past, which requires the imperfect.
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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.
Future
yo: tendré
Tener uses the irregular stem 'tendr-': tendré, tendrás, tendrá, tendremos, tendréis, tendrán.
Conditional
yo: tendría
The conditional uses the irregular stem 'tendr-': tendría, tendrías, tendría, tendríamos, tendríais, tendrían.
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.