Spanish
Grade 3
15 min
El verbo 'tener': ¿Qué tienes tú? (The verb 'tener': What do you have?)
Review the verb 'tener' and use it to describe possessions (e.g., 'Tengo un perro', 'Tengo dos hermanos').
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify the verb 'tener' as a special, irregular verb.
Correctly conjugate the verb 'tener' in the present tense for 'yo', 'tú', 'él', 'ella', and 'usted'.
Ask what someone has using the question '¿Qué tienes tú?'.
Answer questions about what they have using 'Yo tengo...'.
Form simple sentences combining 'tener' with food and school supply vocabulary.
Use 'tener' to state their age in Spanish.
Recognize that 'tener' does not follow the regular -AR verb endings they have learned.
What do you have in your lunchbox today? 🍎🥪 Let's learn how to talk about all the yummy things you have in Spanish!
Today, we will learn a super impor...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Verbo (Verb)An action word. It tells you what someone or something is doing. 'Tener' (to have) is a verb.In the sentence 'Yo tengo una manzana', the verb is 'tengo' (I have).
Infinitivo (Infinitive)The original form of a verb, like the name of the verb. In Spanish, they end in -AR, -ER, or -IR.The infinitive is 'tener'. It means 'to have'.
Conjugar (To Conjugate)Changing the ending of a verb so it matches the person who is doing the action.We conjugate 'tener' to 'tengo' for 'yo' (I).
Sujeto (Subject)The person or thing doing the action in the sentence.In 'Tú tienes un libro', the subject is 'tú' (you).
Verbo Irregular (Irregular Verb)A special verb that does not follo...
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Grammar Rules & Patterns
Conjugation of 'Tener' (Present Tense)
yo tengo (I have)
tú tienes (you have)
él/ella/usted tiene (he/she/you (formal) has/have)
The verb 'tener' changes its spelling for each subject. You must memorize these special forms because they don't follow the regular -AR verb pattern.
The 'Yo-Go' Rule for 'Tener'
The 'yo' form of 'tener' ends in '-go'.
This is a special feature of 'tener' and some other irregular verbs. When you want to say 'I have', you must use 'tengo'. Remember: Yo-Go! I go with 'tengo'!
Using 'Tener' for Age
To say how old you are, use the formula: tener + [number] + años.
In Spanish, you don't 'are' an age, you �...
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Sign Up Free to ContinueSample Practice Questions
Challenging
Lee el párrafo: 'Mi clase de arte es divertida. Yo dibujo mucho. Para la clase, yo tengo papel y lápices de colores. Mi amigo no tiene lápices, así que yo comparto. Ahora, nosotros ___ lápices para dibujar juntos.' ¿Qué palabra falta?
A.tenemos
B.tienen
C.tengo
D.tiene
Challenging
Una familia es un grupo. La familia Pérez ___ tres hijos y un perro. ¿Cuál forma de 'tener' es correcta para describir a la familia como una sola unidad?
A.tienen
B.tiene
C.tenemos
D.tengo
Challenging
Elige la oración que NO es lógica. 'Tener' se usa para posesión, edad, y expresiones como hambre/sed.
A.El niño tiene cinco años.
B.Yo tengo un sándwich para el almuerzo.
C.Nosotros tenemos felices porque es viernes.
D.Mi gata tiene sed y bebe agua.
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