tener Preterite Conjugation
tener — to have
The preterite of tener is highly irregular with a 'uv' stem: tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron.
tener Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when 'tener' means 'to get', 'to receive', or to describe having something at a specific, completed moment in time.
Notes on tener in the Preterite
This is a 'u-stem' irregular verb. The stem changes from 'ten-' to 'tuv-' and it uses special endings without accents.
Example Sentences
Tuve un accidente el martes pasado.
I had an accident last Tuesday.
yo
Ella tuvo una idea brillante.
She had a brilliant idea.
él/ella/usted
Tuvimos mucha suerte en el viaje.
We had a lot of luck on the trip.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'tení' or 'teniste'.
Correct: Use 'tuve' and 'tuviste'.
Why: Learners often try to conjugate it as a regular -er verb, but the 'uv' stem is mandatory in the preterite.
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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.
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.
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.