Tener (to have) · Subjunctive
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Tener in the Spanish present subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo) is: yo tenga, tú tengas, él/ella/usted tenga, nosotros/as tengamos, vosotros/as tengáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tengan. The present subjunctive of tener uses the irregular stem 'teng-' derived from the yo form 'tengo'. It appears in clauses expressing doubt, wish, emotion, or hypothetical situations.
| To Have | Tener |
|---|---|
| I have | yo tenga |
| you have | tú tengas |
| he/she have | él/ella/usted tenga |
| we have | nosotros/as tengamos |
| you have | vosotros/as tengáis |
| they have | ellos/ellas/ustedes tengan |
Tener (to have) in context
Sentences that use tener in the subjunctive. Tap each to hear it.
My boss wants me to have more responsibility.
I hope you have a good day.
It is important that he have confidence in himself.
They want us to have patience.
I hope you have luck in the interview.
It is good that they have so many friends.
Working with the subjunctive
The subjunctive isn't a tense — it's a mood. It signals that the speaker views the action as uncertain, desired, or evaluated rather than asserted as fact. Triggers come in four families: WEIRDO (Wishes, Emotion, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojalá) is the standard mnemonic. When you see "que" after one of these triggers, the verb that follows is almost always subjunctive. The irregular subjunctive stem comes from the yo form of the present indicative — learn "hago" and you know "haga" is the subjunctive stem.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate tener in the present subjunctive?
When do I use the subjunctive of tener?
Why does the subjunctive 'tenga' look so different from 'tiene'?
Practice Tener (To Have) in real conversations
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