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Expressions with the Verb Tener

Expressions with the Verb Tener

no tener cuidado
to not worry
espero que no tengas cuidado.
I don't want you to worry.
no tener nada que ver con
to have nothing to do with
El no tiene nada que ver con el problema.
He has nothing to do with the problem.
tener ... Años
To be ... years old
Tengo 20 años.
I'm 20 years old.
tener ... de ancho/largo/altura
to be .... wide/long/tall
La casa tiene 45 metros de altura.
The house is 45 meters high.
tener calor
to be hot

¿tienes calor?
Are you hot?
tener cariño
to be fond
Su marido tiene cariño a ella.
Her husband is fond of her.
tener celos
to be jealous
Tengo celos a mi amiga.
I'm jealous of my friend.
tener cuidado
to be careful
¡Qué tengas cuidado cuando cruces la calle!
Be careful when crossing the street!
tener derecho
to have the right
Tengo el derecho de expresar mis ideas.
I have the right to express my ideas.
tener en cuenta
to bear in mind
Ten en cuenta que tu tienes un fuerza dento de tí.
Keep in mind that you have a power inside you.
tener éxito
to be successful
Para tener éxito, hay que estudiar.
To succeed, we must study.
tener frío
to be cold
Tengo frío.
I'm cold.
tener ganas de + infinitive
to be in the mood for

No tengo ganas de salir está noche.
I don’t feel like going out tonight.
tener hambre
to be hungry
Amigo! Tengo hambre.
Hey friend! I’m hungry.
tener ilusión
to be enthusiastic
Tiene ilusión por viajar a los EE.UU.
He's enthusiastic about traveling to the U.S.
tener la culp
to be guilty or at fault
No tengo la culpa.
It’s not my fault.
tener lugar
to take place
La boda tuvo lugar en la playa.
The wedding took place at the beach.
tener miedo a + noun
to be afraid of
Tienes miedo a las ranas.
You’re scared of frogs.
tener miedo de + infinitive
to be afraid of
Ella tiene miedo de cantar.
She’s afraid of singing.
tener por seguro
to rest assured
Ten por seguro que nuestra misión no termina aquí.
Rest assured our mission doesn’t end here.
tener prisa
to be in a hurry
Lo siento, pero tengo prisa.
Sorry, but I'm in a hurry.
tener razón
to be right
No creo que ella tiene razón.
I don’t think she is right.
tener sed
to be thirsty
Me puedes dar un vaso de agua. Tengo sed.
Can you give me a glass of water, I’m thirsty.
tener sueño
to be tired or sleepy
Me voy, tengo sueño.
I’m leaving, I’m sleepy.
tener suerte
to be lucky
Tengo mucha suerte. Porque vivo con buena gente.
I’m lucky because I live with nice people.
tener vergüenza
to be embarassed
Tiene verguenza de ser el hijo de un obrero.
He is ashamed of being the son of a laborer.

Hay vs Hay Que

Hay is used in both singular and plural to express "there is " or "there are" it's used extensively. It is also used in interrogative sentences where it translates as is there? or are there?

  • Hay una casa grande en la esquina.
    There is a big house in the corner.

  • Hay dos árboles en nuestro jardín.
    There are two trees in our garden.

Hay que + infinitive is used to express the idea of "one must do something" or, "it is necessary to do something." It is a more general expression and since there is no subject, the verb form hay is always used.

  • Hay que estudiar, para tener éxito.
    One must study to succeed.

So don’t confuse between hay (there is/are) and hay que (one must/have to...).

Tener vs. Tener que + infinitive

The verb tener is used to mean (to have) in the sense of possession.

  • Tengo una casa muy grande.
    I have a very big house.

  • ¿tiene él dinero?
    Does he have money?

But tener que + infinitive means "have to":

  • Me tengo que ir ahora.
    I have to go now.

  • No tienes que hacerlo.
    You don't have to do it.

Hay que + infinitive vs Tener que+ infinitive:

they both mean almost the same thing, but tener is a verb while hay is not, therefore tener should be conjugated according to the subject of the sentence. Hay que is more general than tener que, so when we say "hay que estudiar para tener éxito" (we mean in general we should study to succeed), which may apply for all people, when we say "tengo que estudiar para tener éxito" (it means only me if i study I will succeed).



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