Spanish 3.7. Uses of the Verbs “Haber” and “Tener”

In this lesson, we cover the important Spanish verbs “haber” and “tener.”

The two verbs “haber” and “tener” are widely used in Spanish. Here, we discuss some special uses other than the common ones.

The Verb “Haber”

We have encountered the auxiliary verb “haber” in the present perfect tense, e.g., “Yo he comido” (I have eaten), and we will encounter it again in the future perfect tense, e.g., “Yo habré comido” (I will have eaten), and in other tenses.

The Expression “There is/are …”

Another common and special use of the verb “haber” is the expression “Hay …,” which is translated as “There is/are …,” and is the same for singular and plural. The form “hay” is considered in the present tense and does not take a personal pronoun as a subject.

Both “había” and “hubo” mean “there was/were.” The first is more common. There is a subtle difference that we will come to understand as we study the difference between the two past tense forms in Spanish, namely the preterite and the imperfect.

The Expression “Hay que …”

Another use of the verb “haber” in the form “hay que…(infinitive)” is to express obligation, meaning “One must …” or “It must be that you ….” For example:

The expression “Hay cupo” means “There is room,” whereas “No hay cupo” means “There is no space or vacancy.”

The Verb “Tener”

We have also encountered the verb “tener” (to have) as an irregular verb in the present tense.

In addition to the obvious use of “tener” to indicate possession, e.g., “Yo tengo dos gatos” (I have two cats), there are some less obvious uses of the verb “tener” in Spanish:

Age

In English, we use the verb “to be” to describe age, as in “how old are you?” and “I am 30 years old.” In Spanish, the verb “tener” is used instead. In Spanish, we literally say, “I have 30 years old” rather than, “I am 30 years old.” Here are a few more examples:

Expressions with “Tener” that describe a feeling, pain, illness, or desire.

Some expressions in Spanish describe a feeling or desire using the verb “tener,” while their equivalent in English uses the verb “to be,” e.g., “Tengo miedo” (I am afraid). The word “miedo” means “fear.” Thus, we literally say, “I have fear.” Some other examples are:

Tener que …

One way to express the obligation “have to …” is by using “tener que” followed by the infinitive, for example:

Other Expressions

There are many other idioms and expressions that use the verb “tener.” One common expression is “Tiene sentido,” which means “It makes sense.” Some other expressions are:

Spanish: Expressions using “Tener” & “Hacer”

Spanish: Expressions using "to have" & "to do"

1 / 3

1. He is 20 years old.

SP: Él ___ 20 años.

está

tiene

In English, we use the verb “to be” to describe age, as in “how old are you?” and “I am 30 years old”.

In Spanish, the verb “tener” is used instead; that is, we literally say, “I have 30 years old” rather than, “I am 30 years old”.

In English, we use the verb “to be” to describe age, as in “how old are you?” and “I am 30 years old”.

In Spanish, the verb “tener” is used instead; that is, we literally say, “I have 30 years old” rather than, “I am 30 years old”.

2 / 3

2. How old are you?

SP: ¿Cuántos años ___ ?

estás

tienes

In English, we use the verb “to be” to describe age, as in “how old are you?” and “I am 30 years old”.

In Spanish, the verb “tener” is used instead; that is, we literally say, “I have 30 years old” rather than, “I am 30 years old”.

In English, we use the verb “to be” to describe age, as in “how old are you?” and “I am 30 years old”.

In Spanish, the verb “tener” is used instead; that is, we literally say, “I have 30 years old” rather than, “I am 30 years old”.

3 / 3

3. "Tener" or "Hacer"?

to make sense = sentido

to take a break = una pausa

to go shopping = la compra

to be right = razón

to be thirsty = sed

to be sleepy = sueño

to wait in line = cola

to be hungry = hambre

Check

Some expressions describe a feeling or desire using the verb “to have,” while their equivalents in English use the verb “to be.”

For example, in the expression “Tengo miedo” in Spanish, meaning “I am afraid,” the word “miedo” means “fear.” Thus, we literally say, “I have fear.”

In addition, there are many expressions that use the verb “hacer” (to do or to make) in Spanish, when similar expressions in English would not.

Some expressions describe a feeling or desire using the verb “to have,” while their equivalents in English use the verb “to be.”

For example, in the expression “Tengo miedo” in Spanish, meaning “I am afraid,” the word “miedo” means “fear.” Thus, we literally say, “I have fear.”

In addition, there are many expressions that use the verb “hacer” (to do or to make) in Spanish, when similar expressions in English would not.

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