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A person holding several red apples in their arms.

tenerlos

te-NEHR-lohs

verbA1irregular er
to have them?referring to masculine or mixed-gender plural objects or people
Also:to hold them?physically gripping or containing objects

Quick Reference

gerundteniendo
past Participletenido
infinitivetener

📝 In Action

Tus libros están en la mesa, puedes tenerlos.

A1

Your books are on the table; you can have them.

Me encantan estos perros y quiero tenerlos en casa.

A1

I love these dogs and I want to have them at home.

Si tienes los documentos, es mejor tenerlos organizados.

A2

If you have the documents, it's better to have them organized.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • poseerlos (to possess them)
  • sujetarlos (to hold them)

Antonyms

  • perderlos (to lose them)
  • soltarlos (to let them go)

Common Collocations

  • querer tenerlos – to want to have them
  • poder tenerlos – to be able to have them
  • necesitar tenerlos – to need to have them

Idioms & Expressions

  • tenerlos bien puestos – to have a lot of courage or guts

💡 Grammar Points

The Sticky Pronoun

The word is a combination of 'tener' (to have) and 'los' (them). In Spanish, you glue 'them' to the end of the verb if it is in its base form (the 'to' form).

Masculine vs. Feminine

Use 'tenerlos' when the things you are talking about are masculine (like 'libros') or a mix of men and women. If they are all feminine (like 'manzanas'), use 'tenerlas' instead.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Separating the words

Mistake: "Quiero los tener."

Correction: Say 'Quiero tenerlos' or 'Los quiero tener'. You cannot put 'los' in the middle of two verbs like that; it either goes before the first verb or sticks to the end of the second one.

⭐ Usage Tips

Avoid Repetition

Use 'tenerlos' to sound more natural! Instead of saying 'the books' over and over, just use the 'los' at the end of the verb once you've already named them.

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedeslos tuvieran
yolos tuviera
túlos tuvieras
vosotroslos tuvierais
nosotroslos tuviéramos
él/ella/ustedlos tuviera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedeslos tengan
yolos tenga
túlos tengas
vosotroslos tengáis
nosotroslos tengamos
él/ella/ustedlos tenga

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedeslos tuvieron
yolos tuve
túlos tuviste
vosotroslos tuvisteis
nosotroslos tuvimos
él/ella/ustedlos tuvo

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedeslos tenían
yolos tenía
túlos tenías
vosotroslos teníais
nosotroslos teníamos
él/ella/ustedlos tenía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedeslos tienen
yolos tengo
túlos tienes
vosotroslos tenéis
nosotroslos tenemos
él/ella/ustedlos tiene
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: tenerlos

Question 1 of 1

If you are talking about 'los gatos' (the cats), how would you say 'I want to have them'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

tener(to have) - verb
tenencia(possession/holding) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

When do I put 'los' at the end versus at the beginning?

Put 'los' at the end when the verb is in the infinitive (tenerlos), gerund (teniéndolos), or an affirmative command (tenlos). Put it before the verb in most other cases (los tengo).

Can 'tenerlos' refer to people?

Yes! If you are talking about a group of boys or a mixed group of people, you can say 'es bueno tenerlos aquí' (it's good to have them here).