Lección 3.2
Lección 3.2
The Verbs ‘Tener’ and ‘Venir’ in the Present Tense:
‘Tener’ (to have) and ‘venir’ (to come) are two of the most commonly used irregular verbs in Spanish. They are often presented together because they have similar changes in their forms.
Example Use Case: Conjugating the Verb “Venir”
- Venir (to come)
- Yo Vengo Nosotros Venimos
- Tú Vienes Vosotros Venís
- Usted Viene Ustedes Vienen
- Él Viene Ellos Vienen
- Ella Viene Ellas Vienen
The verb ‘Venir’ is used to express when someone is going to come. For example, ‘El viene a la celebración de Cinco de Mayo.’ (He comes to the Cinco de Mayo celebracion).
Venir, when combined with ‘a’ (to) and a place is used to express where someone comes to. For example, ‘Ana viene al restaurante a las cinco y media.’ (Ana comes to the restaurant at five thirty).
Venir, when combined with ‘de’ and a place is used to express where someone comes from. For example, ‘Mercedes y Antonio vienen de una Quinceañera’. (Mercedes and Antonio come from a Quinceañera).
Venir, when combined with ‘con’ and a person or thing is used to express with who or what someone comes. For example, ‘Cristina viene con su perro.’ (Cristina comes with her dog).
Example Use Case: Conjugating the Verb “Tener”
- Tener- to have
- Yo Tengo Nosotros Temenos
- Tú Tienes Vosotros Tenéis
- Usted Tiene Ustedes Tienen
- Él Tiene Ellos Tienen
- Ella Tiene Ellas Tienen
The verb tener is one of the most useful verbs in Spanish. It can express what someone has, it expresses what someone has to do and it is used when expressing the most basic feelings and other conditions.
When to Use Tener: Expressing Possession
Tener when expressing what someone has
Ella tiene una fiesta. She has a party
Nosotros tenemos una clase de español. We have a Spanish class.
A ellos les gusta tener celebraciones. They like to have celebrations.
Activity 1 – Fill in the blanks
Activity 2 – Please match the correct form of the verb tener.
When to Use Tener: Expressing Necessity:
Use “Tener” when expressing what someone has to do – Tener + que + infinitive
When using the formula, ‘tener’ + que + infinitive, it expresses having to do something.
Here are some examples:
Natalia tiene que dibujar todos los días. Natalia has to draw every day.
Daniel y Nicolás tienen que preparar la comida para la fiesta de Marta. Daniel and Nicolas have to prepare the food for Marta’s party.
Yo tengo que devolver el vestido a Sabrina. I have to return the dress to Sabrina.
Activity 3 – Match the subject with what they have to do.
Tener + expression
Below is a list of the expressions that are used with ‘tener’ to express the most basic of needs and other conditions.
Tener hambre- to be hungry Tener sed-to be thirsty Tener calor-to be hot Tener frío-to be cold
Tener sueño-to be sleepy Tener prisa-To be in a hurry Tener miedo-to be afraid Tener razón-to be right
No tener razón-to be wrong Tener suerte-to be lucky Tener ganas de- to feel like (doing something) Tener…..años-to be …years old
It is important to note that these expressions using the verb ‘tener’, rounds out the last way to express what in English is ‘to be’ along with ‘ser’ and ‘estar’. However, in Spanish, it is to have hunger, to have thirst to have years etc.
Activity 4 – Match Sentences with the Correct Descriptions
⦁ Es el cumpleaños de Sofía. c ⦁ Tienen hambre.
⦁ Después de comer tantos tamales, Luis quiere tomar una siesta (a nap). e ⦁ Tiene prisa.
⦁ Ana dice que la fiesta empieza a las 6, no a las 7. d ⦁ Tiene doce años.
⦁ Estamos cocinando para la fiesta y no hay mucho tiempo (time). b ⦁ Tiene razón.
⦁ Los niños ven los tacos y pastel en la mesa. *a ⦁ Tiene sueño.
Activity 5 – Fill in the Blank
Verbs with Irregular ‘yo’ forms in the Present Tense
In Spanish, most verbs follow a regular pattern in the present tense. But, some verbs have a special change only in the ‘yo’ (I) form. These are called verbs with irregular ‘yo’ forms. Although these verbs don’t follow the regular-verb pattern in the ‘yo’ form, the rest of their conjugations are usually regular. Earlier in the text, the verbs ‘hacer’, ‘tener’ and ‘venir’ were presented because of their usefulness. Learning more verbs with irregular verb forms is important because they are common in daily conversations and help to make communication more natural and fluent. There is no way to tell these verbs apart from regular verbs, so the best way to add them to your vocabulary is through memorization.
⦁ ‘Go’ verbs-These verbs end in ‘-go’ in the ‘yo’ form.
Infinitive Yo form Meaning
Tener e>ie Tengo To have
Venir e>ie Vengo To come
Decir Digo To say, tell
Hacer Hago To do, make
Poner Pongo To put, place
Salir Salgo To leave, go out
Valer Valgo To be worth
Traer Traigo To bring
Caer Caigo To fall
Oír * Oigo To hear
Since there are forms that have more than one irregularity and don’t follow the rules in the other forms, below is a chart with their complete conjugations.
Decir-
Yo Digo Nosotros Dices
Tú Dices Vosotros Decís
Usted Dice Ustedes Dicen
Él Dice Ellos Dicen
Ella Dice Ellas Dicen
Traer-to bring
Yo Traigo Nosotros Traemos
Tú Traes Vosotros Traéis
Usted Trae Ustedes Traen
Él Trae Ellos Traen
Ella Trae Ellas Traen
Caer-to fall
Yo Caigo Nosotros Caemos
Tú Caes Vosotros Caéis
Usted Cae Ustedes Caen
Él Cae Ellos Caen
Ella Cae Ellas Caen
Oír-to hear
Yo Oigo Nosotros Oímos
Tú Oyes Vosotros Oís
Usted Oye Ustedes Oyen
Él Oye Ellos Oyen
Ella Oye Ellas Oyen
⦁ ‘-zco’ verbs- These verbs end in ‘-zco’ in the ‘yo’ form.
Infinitive Yo form Meaning
Conocer Conozco To know (people and places)
Conducir Conduzco To drive
Traducir Traduzco To translate
Producir Produzco To produce
Obedecer Obedezco To obey
Parecer Parezco To seem
Ofrecer Ofrezco To offer
Establecer Establezco To establish
Merecer Merezco To deserve
Agradecer Agradezco To thank
⦁ Irregular Spelling
Infinitive Yo form Meaning
Saber Sé To know (facts)
Ver Veo To see
Dar Doy To give
Caber Quepo To fit
Luckily, these verbs are irregular only in the ‘yo’ form. They are regular in the other forms.
Below is a summary of the endings of these verbs with irregular ‘yo’ forms.
Ending ‘Yo’ Irregular Form Pattern
-cer/-cir -zco (e.g. conocer>conozco)
-guir -go (e.g. seguir>sigo)
-ger/-gir -jo (e.g. escoger>escojo)
Activity 6 – Fill in the blanks
Activity 7 – Fill in the blanks
Activity 8 – Fill in the blanks