How to Say "you have" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “you have” is “tienes” — use this when asking one person informally if they possess something..
tienes
/tyeh-ness//ˈtjenes/
Examples
¿Tienes un bolígrafo?
Do you have a pen?
Tienes una casa muy bonita.
You have a very beautiful house.
Veo que tienes un coche nuevo.
I see you have a new car.
Who are you talking to? 'tú' vs 'usted'
'Tienes' is the form you use when talking to one person you know well, like a friend, a family member, or a child. It's the informal 'you'.
An Irregular Verb
The verb 'tener' is irregular, meaning it doesn't follow the normal patterns. Notice how the 'e' in 'tener' changes to 'ie' for 'tienes'.
Mixing up 'tienes' and 'tiene'
Mistake: “Le dices a tu amigo: '¿Usted tiene un lápiz?'”
Correction: To a friend, you should say: '¿Tienes un lápiz?'. Use 'tienes' for 'tú' (informal you) and 'tiene' for 'usted' (formal you) or 'él/ella' (he/she).
tienen
/tyeh-nen//ˈtje.nen/
Examples
Ellos tienen un coche nuevo.
They have a new car.
Ustedes tienen dos hijos, ¿verdad?
You (all) have two children, right?
Mis vecinos tienen un perro muy ruidoso.
My neighbors have a very noisy dog.
Who are 'they' or 'you'?
'Tienen' is the form for 'ellos' (a group of men, or mixed), 'ellas' (a group of women), and 'ustedes' (you all). In Spain, 'ustedes' is formal, but in Latin America, it's used for both formal and informal 'you all'.
Using 'Haber' for Possession
Mistake: “Mis amigos han un perro.”
Correction: Use 'tener' for possession. Say 'Mis amigos tienen un perro.' The verb 'haber' (like 'han') is usually for building other verb tenses, not for saying you own something.
tienes
/tyeh-ness//ˈtjenes/
Examples
¿Tienes hambre?
Are you hungry?
¿Tienes un bolígrafo?
Do you have a pen?
Tienes una casa muy bonita.
You have a very beautiful house.
Veo que tienes un coche nuevo.
I see you have a new car.
Who are you talking to? 'tú' vs 'usted'
'Tienes' is the form you use when talking to one person you know well, like a friend, a family member, or a child. It's the informal 'you'.
An Irregular Verb
The verb 'tener' is irregular, meaning it doesn't follow the normal patterns. Notice how the 'e' in 'tener' changes to 'ie' for 'tienes'.
Mixing up 'tienes' and 'tiene'
Mistake: “Le dices a tu amigo: '¿Usted tiene un lápiz?'”
Correction: To a friend, you should say: '¿Tienes un lápiz?'. Use 'tienes' for 'tú' (informal you) and 'tiene' for 'usted' (formal you) or 'él/ella' (he/she).
tenéis
teh-NEH-ees/teˈneis/
Examples
¿Tenéis un coche rojo?
Do you (all) have a red car?
Tenéis muchas ideas buenas.
You (all) have many good ideas.
Vosotros tenéis la llave de la casa, ¿verdad?
You guys have the house key, right?
Vosotros Form
This verb form, 'tenéis', is specifically used with the pronoun 'vosotros' (you all/y'all), which is primarily heard and used in Spain. In Latin America, they use 'ustedes tienen'.
Irregularity
The base verb 'tener' is highly irregular. Notice the stem changes, especially in the 'yo' form (tengo) and the past tenses (tuve).
Using 'Ser' for Feelings
Mistake: “Vosotros sois frío.”
Correction: Vosotros tenéis frío. (You are cold). Spanish uses 'tener' (to have) for physical states like hunger, thirst, and temperature, not 'ser' (to be).
has
/as//as/
Examples
¿Has visto mi teléfono?
Have you seen my phone?
Nunca has viajado a España, ¿verdad?
You've never traveled to Spain, right?
Me dijiste que ya has terminado la tarea.
You told me that you have already finished the homework.
The 'Have You...?' Verb
'Has' is your go-to word for asking 'tú' (a friend, someone your age) if they 'have done' something. It's almost always followed by another verb ending in -ado or -ido, like 'hablado' (spoken) or 'comido' (eaten).
Forming the Present Perfect
This tense, which talks about the recent past, is made of two parts: the helper verb ('has') and the main action verb. For example: 'Tú has' (You have) + 'leído' (read) = 'Tú has leído' (You have read).
Confusing 'has' with 'tienes'
Mistake: “Using 'tienes' for actions: '¿Tienes comido?'”
Correction: Always use 'has' for actions: '¿Has comido?'. 'Tienes' is for possession (Do you have food?), while 'has' is for experience (Have you eaten?).
habéis
/ah-BASE//aˈβeis/
Examples
¿Ya habéis comido?
Have you all eaten already?
No habéis terminado la tarea.
You all haven't finished the homework.
Habéis visto esa película mil veces.
You all have seen that movie a thousand times.
The Ultimate Helping Verb
'Habéis' is a form of the verb 'haber'. You almost always use it with another verb to talk about things that have happened. Think of it as the 'have' in 'you all have seen'.
Forming the Perfect Past
To use 'habéis', just add a past participle—the '-ado' or '-ido' form of another verb. For example: 'habéis hablado' (you all have spoken), 'habéis vivido' (you all have lived).
Not the Same as 'Tenéis'
Mistake: “Vosotros tenéis comido.”
Correction: Vosotros habéis comido. Use 'haber' (like 'habéis') for 'have' when it's a helping verb for an action. Use 'tener' (like 'tenéis') for 'have' when you're talking about owning something.
tengas
/ten-gas//ˈteŋɡas/
Examples
Espero que tengas un buen día.
I hope you have a good day.
Dudo que tengas la respuesta correcta.
I doubt you have the right answer.
Avísame cuando tengas noticias.
Let me know when you have news.
The 'Wishing and Doubting' Verb Form
'Tengas' is a special form of 'tener' (to have) used after words that express wishes, doubts, emotions, or recommendations. Think of it as the 'not-a-fact-yet' form. For example, 'Espero que tengas...' (I hope that you have...).
Using 'Tienes' Instead of 'Tengas'
Mistake: “Espero que tienes un buen día.”
Correction: Espero que tengas un buen día. After a 'wishing' word like 'espero que', Spanish requires this special '-as' ending for 'tú' (you).
tenés
/teh-NESS//teˈnes/
Examples
¿Tenés un minuto para hablar?
Do you have a minute to talk?
Tenés que ir al supermercado ahora.
You have to go to the supermarket now.
¡Tenés mucha suerte!
You have a lot of luck!
The 'Vos' Form
This word is a special conjugation for the pronoun 'vos,' which is used instead of 'tú' (you, informal) in many parts of Latin America, particularly the Southern Cone.
Stress is Key
The 'vos' forms of -er and -ir verbs usually have the stress on the last syllable, which is why you pronounce it 'te-NÉS,' unlike the standard 'tú' form 'TIEnes'.
Mixing Pronouns
Mistake: “Vos tienes”
Correction: Vos tenés. You must use the 'vos' conjugation with the 'vos' pronoun. Never mix 'vos' with the 'tú' verb form ('tienes').
Possession vs. Auxiliary Verb
Related Translations
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