Inklingo

How to Say "we had" in Spanish

English → Spanish

teníamos

/te-NEE-ah-mohs//teˈni.a.mos/

VerbA2General
Use 'teníamos' to describe a state of possession or ownership that existed over a period of time in the past.
Two happy children standing on a green hill, jointly holding the string of a large, bright red and yellow kite flying high above them.

Examples

Cuando éramos niños, teníamos un perro llamado Fido.

When we were kids, we had a dog named Fido.

Antes teníamos más tiempo libre para jugar.

Before, we used to have more free time to play.

Describing the Past with 'Teníamos'

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'.

'Teníamos' vs. 'Tuvimos'

Mistake: “Ayer, teníamos una reunión a las 3.”

Correction: Ayer, tuvimos una reunión a las 3. Use 'tuvimos' for events that started and ended at a specific point in the past. Use 'teníamos' for ongoing states or habits, like 'Teníamos reuniones todos los lunes' (We used to have meetings every Monday).

tuvimos

too-VEE-mos/tuˈβi.mos/

VerbA1General
Use 'tuvimos' to talk about a specific, completed event or possession that occurred at a particular point in the past.
Two small children smiling happily as they jointly hold the handle of a bright red toy wagon, symbolizing shared ownership.

Examples

Ayer tuvimos una reunión muy productiva.

Yesterday we had a very productive meeting.

Solo tuvimos ese coche por tres meses, luego lo vendimos.

We only had that car for three months; then we sold it.

Irregular Preterite Stem

The past simple form (Preterite) of 'tener' is highly irregular. It uses the stem 'tuv-' for all conjugations, which is very different from the base form 'ten-'.

Confusing Preterite and Imperfect

Mistake: “Using 'teníamos' when describing a single, completed past action.”

Correction: 'Tuvimos' describes a single event with a clear start and end (e.g., 'we had a great time'). 'Teníamos' describes ongoing states or habits (e.g., 'we used to have long hair').

habíamos

/ah-BEE-ah-mos//aˈβi.a.mos/

VerbB1General
Use 'habíamos' to form the past perfect tense, indicating an action that was completed before another past action or time.
Two cheerful children are standing side-by-side, proudly holding up a large, brightly colored finished puzzle, symbolizing that 'we had' completed it.

Examples

Cuando llegaron, ya habíamos comprado los boletos.

When they arrived, we had already bought the tickets.

No sabíamos que habíamos dejado la luz encendida.

We didn't know that we had left the light on.

Si lo habíamos planeado, ¿por qué no lo hicimos?

If we had planned it, why didn't we do it?

Forming the Past Perfect

Use 'habíamos' (the helping verb) followed immediately by the main verb's past participle (usually ending in -ado or -ido) to say what 'we had done'.

Showing Sequence in the Past

This tense is crucial for establishing that one action (the one with 'habíamos') happened and finished BEFORE another past event.

Mixing Up the Helping Verb

Mistake: “Using 'éramos' instead of 'habíamos' (e.g., 'Éramos comido').”

Correction: Only 'haber' (habíamos) is used as the helping verb for compound tenses in Spanish, never 'ser' or 'estar'.

Past Tense vs. Past Perfect

The most common mistake is confusing 'teníamos'/'tuvimos' (simple past) with 'habíamos' (past perfect). Remember that 'habíamos' is used when one past action happened *before* another past action, while 'teníamos'/'tuvimos' describe states or events in the past without that sequence.

Related Translations

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