'Teníamos' vs. 'Tuvimos'

Use 'teníamos' to talk about things you had or situations that were true for a period of time in the past, not just for a single moment. It sets the scene, like 'we had a car' or 'we had a lot of work'.

Describing the Past with 'Teníamos'

'Teníamos' is perfect for describing the background of a story. For example: 'Era una noche oscura y teníamos mucho miedo...' (It was a dark night and we were very scared...).

Setting the Scene in a Story

Extremely common. This is the most frequent use of the word.

Not 'Estábamos Hambre'

In Spanish, you often 'have' a feeling instead of 'being' it. For example, you 'have' hunger ('tener hambre') or 'have' age ('tener veinte años'). 'Teníamos' means 'we were' in these special phrases.

Using 'Tener' for Feelings and States

Very common for talking about age, physical states, and feelings.

To talk about something you were obligated to do in the past, just use 'teníamos que' followed by the basic form of a verb (like 'hablar', 'comer', 'vivir'). It's a simple and very useful formula for past obligations.

Saying 'We Had To...'

Use 'teníamos que' for obligations that were repeated ('Teníamos que ir a la escuela') or ongoing ('Teníamos que terminar el proyecto'). For a specific, one-time obligation that was completed, you'll often use 'tuvimos que'.

Ongoing vs. One-Time Obligation

Extremely common way to express obligation in the past.

Learn the meaning of 'teníamos' in Spanish. Understand its use for possession ('we had'), states ('we were hungry'), and obligation ('we had to'). See full conjugations, examples, and common mistakes.

teníamos

Complete Conjugation Tables

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

future

imperfect

conditional

preterite

imperative

negative

affirmative

subjunctive

present

imperfect

Practice Conjugations