{"id":1911,"date":"2019-04-10T15:05:17","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T15:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pocketlearningspanish.com\/inicio\/?p=653"},"modified":"2019-10-12T22:40:13","modified_gmt":"2019-10-12T22:40:13","slug":"%d0%b8%d1%81%d0%bf%d0%b0%d0%bd%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%b8%d0%b9-tener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conversaspanishinstitute.com\/ru\/blog\/spanish-tener\/","title":{"rendered":"To Be vs To Have: Battle of the Verbs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spanish verbs ser<\/em> (to be) and tener<\/em> (to have) are two of the most frequently-used verbs in the language. If you have recently taken up Spanish, you may have noticed that you kind of have to use them from day one: \u00a1Hola! S<\/strong><\/em>oy<\/strong> Miriam y tengo<\/strong> 14 a\u00f1os (Hi! I\u2019m Miriam and I\u2019m 14 years old).<\/em><\/p>\n

However, although very distinctive at first glance, one may notice that what can be expressed with one of these verbs in one language may not necessarily carry across international waters.<\/p>\n

\"CONVERSA
\u0427\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0434\u0430\u043b\u0435\u0435<\/strong>Video: Spanish-English false friends<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>

This is the case with \u2018to be\u2019 in English and tener<\/em> in Spanish.<\/p>\n

So, what do I mean, exactly? Let\u2019s first look at tener<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Spanish Verb: Tener<\/i><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"CONVERSA
\u0427\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0434\u0430\u043b\u0435\u0435<\/strong>Online Activity: Conjugate Spanish Verbs in Present<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>

Depending on your level of Spanish, you may or may not know that verbs can be either regular or irregular. What does this mean? Well, long story short: that either they keep their main form no matter the tense is or that they kind of do whatever they want to do.<\/p>\n

Tener<\/em> plays for the irregular team. Yup, it\u2019s one of those. Anyway, here\u2019s a reminder of what the present tense looks like:<\/p>\n

\"CONVERSA<\/p>\n

Cases of English \u2018To Be\u2019 = Spanish \u2018Tener\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are many cases in which the verb \u201cto be\u201d is translated as tener\u00a0<\/em>in Spanish, so it is common for language learners on either side to mistake the two. Have you ever heard a native Spanish speaker try their best at English and go: \u201cI have 18 years\u201d? They don\u2019t mean years left to live, obviously (TMI much?), but how old they are.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the most common uses of tener<\/em> that would correspond to the verb \u2018to be\u2019 in English:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Tener ___ a\u00f1os \u2013<\/strong> to be ___ years old<\/li>\n
  • Tener hambre\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be hungry<\/li>\n
  • Tener sed\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be thirsty<\/li>\n
  • Tener calor\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be\/feel hot<\/li>\n
  • Tener fr\u00edo\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be\/feel cold<\/li>\n
  • Tener cuidado\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be careful<\/li>\n
  • Tener miedo \u2013<\/strong> to be scared<\/li>\n
  • Tener prisa\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be in a hurry<\/li>\n
  • Tener raz\u00f3n\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be right<\/li>\n
  • Tener sue\u00f1o\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be sleepy<\/li>\n
  • Tener suerte\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> to be lucky<\/li>\n
  • Tener dolor \u2013<\/strong> to be in pain<\/li>\n
  • Tener la culpa \u2013<\/strong> to be at fault<\/li>\n
  • Tener \u00e9xito \u2013<\/strong> to be succesful<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Sometimes, though, the same sentences can be translated into two different ways, like\u00a0ser paciente vs tener paciencia (to be patient vs to have patience).<\/em><\/p>\n

    So? Would you have ever thought that you could say \u2018I have hunger\u2019 or \u2018I have hurry\u2019 and not sound absolutely ridiculous? Well, now you can! It only goes to show that learning a new language only broadens your mind.<\/p>\n

    Not Enough Spanish for Today?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    If you want to learn how to speak Spanish, or want to improve your Spanish-speaking skills, start right now!\u00a0Do this online activity and discover other uses for verbs ser<\/em> and\u00a0tener<\/em>.<\/p>\n