How many Spanish expressions with tener do you know? 👀

Idiomatic expressions are common in any language (think of “it’s raining cats and dogs”), and Spanish is no exception. The verb tener finds its way in many everyday sayings, much like the verb “to be” in English: tener hambre (to be hungry), tener prisa (to be in a hurry), tener éxito (to be successful), etc. We rounded up the most popular Spanish expressions with tener, which you can confidently use to sound like a native Spanish speaker.

A quick intro on the verb tener

Before going into Spanish idioms with tener, learn what the verb means and how to conjugate it in Spanish. Truth be told, tener can have different meanings based on the context. For example “to possess,” “to carry,” “to wear,” “to feel,” and so on. But the most common one is “to have” or “to be”.

Here’s how you conjugate tener in the present tense:

yo tengo	I have
tú tienes	you (singular) have
él/ella/Ud. tiene	he/she has
nosotros tenemos	we have
vosotros tenéis	you (plural) have
ellos/ellas/Uds. tienen	they have

15 Spanish expressions with tener

Now that you know how to conjugate tener in the present tense, let’s see which are the most popular idioms!

1. Tener que – To have to

This is an easy one, and perfect for those times when you have to do something. You’ll see it a lot in Spanish, so best to get familiar with it.

• Tiene que comprar unas manzanas. (He has to buy a few apples.)

2. Tener hambre/sed/sueño/frío/calor – To be hungry/thirsty/sleepy/cold/hot

Are you hungry or thirsty? What about cold or sleepy? As you can see, tener is pretty versatile.

• ¿Tienes calor? (Are you hot?)
• ¿Tienen frío? (Are they cold?)
• ¡Cuánto calor hoy! Tenemos mucha sed. (What a hot day! We’re so thirsty.)
• Tengo mucho hambre. (I am very hungry.)
• Tiene sueño. (She’s sleepy.)

3. Tener prisa – To be in a hurry

Are you in a hurry or in a rush? Perfect time to use tener prisa:

• ¿Nos puedes traer la cuenta, porfa? Tenemos prisa. (Can you bring us the bill, please? We’re in a hurry.)

4. Tener éxito – To be successful/to succeed

This is a funky one! The word éxito, which sounds much like “exit” in English, actually means “success” in Spanish. It’s a false cognate, so be aware!

• Ha tenido éxito en todo lo que hace. (He’s been successful at everything he does.)

5. Tener que ver con – To have to do with

While the verb ver translates as “to see”, in this expression, it’s more about being connected with or having something to do with.

• No sé de lo que hables. Lo que dices no tiene nada que ver conmigo. (I don’t know what you’re talking about. What you’re saying has nothing to do with me.)

6. Tener razón – To be right

We all like to be right (on occasion)… and this is the right expression for that!

• Luz siempre tiene razón. (Luz is always right.)

7. Tener lugar – To take place

Do you need to say where something is happening? Go with tener lugar.

• La conferencia tendrá lugar en Paris. (The conference will take place in Paris.)

8. Tener en cuenta – To keep in mind

You may be familiar with cuenta (“bill,” “check”) from darse cuenta de, but in the expression tener en cuenta it means “to keep in mind” or “take into account.”

• Ten en cuenta que ella fue amable contigo. (Keep in mind that she was very kind to you.)

9. Tener la culpa – To be at fault

In Spanish, culpa means “fault” or “guilt.” You can also think of mea culpa in Latin.

• Ella no tiene la culpa de lo que sucedió en la casa. (What happened at the house isn’t her fault.)

10. Tener pensado – To intend to

Tener pensado is for those times when you have an idea in your head and go over it again and again until it becomes an intention.

• Hannah tiene pensado viajar a Barcelona después de acabar su clase. (Hannah intends to travel to Barcelona after finishing her class.)

11. Tener suerto – To be lucky

Do you feel lucky today? In Spanish, we “have luck”, and here’s how you can use the expression in a sentence:

• Tengo suerte de haberte conocido. (I’m lucky to have met you.)

12. Tener miedo – To be afraid/scared

We use this expression with tener to say we’re scared or afraid of something:

• Tengo miedo de las arañas. (I’m afraid of spiders.)

13. Tener ganas de + infinitive – To feel like (doing something)

There are two popular Spanish expressions with ganas de: dar ganas de and tener ganas de. We use the latter to express a desire or wish to do something.

• Después de este almuerzo, tengo ganas de dar una vuelta.  (After this lunch, I feel like taking a walk.)
• Tengo muchas ganas de ir de vacaciones. (I really feel like going on vacation.)

14. Tener (número) años – To be (number) years old

While in English we use “to be” to say how old we are, in Spanish, we use “to have.”

• ¿Cuántos años tiene tu hijo? (How old is your son?)
• Carlos tiene 29 años. (Carlos is 29 years old.)

15. Tener cuidado – To be careful

Easy expression to remember!

• Ten cuidado con lo que dices. (Be careful what you say.)

That’s all folks! If you want more Spanish lessons, download our free Spanish conversation course ebook, sign up for our weekly newsletter, and don’t forget to check out our upcoming Day of the Dead trip to Mexico! Thanks ❤️