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tendrían

tehn-DRÍ-ahn

verbA2irregular er

they would have?Possession or experience in a hypothetical situation

Also:you (all, formal) would have?Addressing a group formally (ustedes),they would need to?Used in the structure 'tendrían que' (they would have to)

Quick Reference

infinitivetener

gerundteniendo

past Participletenido

📝 In Action

Si tuvieran más dinero, tendrían una casa más grande.

If they had more money, they would have a bigger house.

Ustedes tendrían que firmar este documento antes de irse.

You all (formal) would have to sign this document before leaving.

Si no comieran, tendrían mucha hambre.

If they didn't eat, they would be very hungry. (Literally: they would have much hunger.)

Word Connections

Synonyms

poseerían (they would possess)
deberían (they should (obligation))

Common Collocations

tendrían que saber – they would have to know
tendrían razón – they would be right

💡 Grammar Points

The 'Would' Tense

This form, 'tendrían,' is the conditional tense, which is used to say what 'would' happen, usually if a certain condition were met (the 'if' part).

Irregular Stem

The verb 'tener' (to have) has a special stem 'tendr-' in the conditional and future tenses, instead of just adding the endings to the infinitive 'tener'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing 'Tener' and 'Haber'

Mistake: "Using 'habrían' when you mean 'they would possess' or 'they would be obligated to.'"

Correction: 'Tendrían' is used for possession ('They would have a car'). 'Habrían' is only used to form perfect tenses ('They would have eaten').

⭐ Usage Tips

Polite Suggestions

Use 'tendrían' (or 'tendrías' for tú) to make a polite suggestion or observation about what someone ought to do, softening the request.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedtiene

yotengo

tútienes

ellos/ellas/ustedestienen

nosotrostenemos

vosotrostenéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedtenía

yotenía

tútenías

ellos/ellas/ustedestenían

nosotrosteníamos

vosotrosteníais

preterite

él/ella/ustedtuvo

yotuve

tútuviste

ellos/ellas/ustedestuvieron

nosotrostuvimos

vosotrostuvisteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedtenga

yotenga

tútengas

ellos/ellas/ustedestengan

nosotrostengamos

vosotrostengáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedtuviera/tuviese

yotuviera/tuviese

tútuvieras/tuvieses

ellos/ellas/ustedestuvieran/tuviesen

nosotrostuviéramos/tuviésemos

vosotrostuvierais/tuvieseis

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: tendrían

Question 1 of 2

Which English phrase best translates 'Ellos tendrían que estudiar'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

tener(to have) - verb

tendencia(tendency) - noun

tenedor(fork (literally, holder)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'tendrían' sound different from the infinitive 'tener'?

'Tener' is an irregular verb. In the future and conditional tenses (like 'tendrían'), the 'e' is replaced by a 'd' and the 'r' is kept, creating the special stem 'tendr-'. This pattern is common for several high-frequency verbs.

Is 'tendrían' used for 'would be' when talking about age or feelings?

Yes! In Spanish, age ('tener años'), hunger ('tener hambre'), and coldness ('tener frío') are expressed using 'tener' (to have). So, 'tendrían frío' means 'they would be cold'.