Introduction
This
post showcases/ highlights a typical use of the verb tener*.
SCENARIO
Imagine you are talking to a couple of relatives, friends or work colleagues about the ages of some of the people you all know.
At
some point, someone says:
"who
is eighteen?"
In
Spanish, the other person could choose to say:
¿Quién
tiene dieciocho años?
OUR
TIP
Answering
this question should be straightforward. Naming the person who would
like to go to the cinema may be sufficient. However, you may use the
verb tener to make your answer more informative.
Here
are some examples of how you could use that expression:
- Yo tengo dieciocho años (I am 18 years old);
- Tú tienes dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are 18 years old, aren't you -familiar);
- Tú no tienes dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are not 18 years old, are you -familiar);
- Usted tiene dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are 18 years old, aren't you -formal);
- Usted no tiene dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are not 18 years old, are you -formal);
- Pedro tiene dieciocho años (Pedro is 18 years old);
- María tiene dieciocho años (Maria is 18 years old);
- Creo1 que todos tenemos dieciocho años (I think that we are all 18 years old);
- Vosotros tenéis dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are 18 years old, aren't you -people/ plural familiar);
- Vosotros no tenéis dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are not 18 years old, are you -people/ plural familiar);
- Ustedes tienen dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are 18 years old, aren't you -people/ plural formal);
- Ustedes no tienen dieciocho años, ¿verdad? (you are not 18 years old, are you -people/ plural formal);
- Pedro y María tienen dieciocho años (Pedro and Maria are 18 years old);
Notes
Please note that subjunctive mood should be used with the negative
“no creo”, as in:
- No creo que todos tengamos dieciocho años (I don't believe we are all 18 years old)
Now
you should practise answering the question:
¿Quién
tiene dieciocho años?
*See
uses of verb tener below
*Verb
tener -
Typical Uses/ Expressions
Tener calor To feel hot Tener celos To feel jealousy/ to be jealous Tener cuidado To be careful Tener dolor To feel pain/ to have an ache Tener envidia To feel envy/ to be envious Tener fiebre To be feverish Tener frío To feel cold Tener ganas de algo To feel like doing something/ to look forward to something Tener hambre To feel hungry Tener la culpa To be at fault Tener miedo To feel afraid Tener pensado To have in mind Tener prisa To be in hurry Tener sed To feel thirsty Tener sueño To feel sleepy Tener suerte To be lucky Tener tos To have a cough Tener xx* años/ meses/ etc. To be xx years/ months/ etc. old Tenerle rabia a alguien To have it in for someone
*NB
Express ages by conjugating tener and replacing xx with a
number. For example, I am 18 years old = tengo 18 años.
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