Present of Tenir

Level 1

Tenir uses tinc, tens, té, tenim, teniu and tenen in the present.

How It Works

Tenir describes possession: tinc una bicicleta. Its irregular first-person form is tinc, while third-person singular té has a distinguishing accent. Match the verb to the owner or experiencer, not to the thing possessed.

Catalan also uses tenir for age and several bodily feelings: tinc vint anys, tinc gana, tinc set, tinc fred. These expressions do not use ser simply because English translates them with be. Gana and set usually appear without an indefinite article in the basic feeling expression.

For a temporary condition described by an adjective, estar may be the right verb: estic cansat. Compare tinc son, meaning I am sleepy, with dormo, meaning I sleep. Learning the full phrase keeps these useful meanings distinct.

Examples (3)

  1. Tinc vint-i-cinc anys.

    I am twenty-five years old.

  2. Tens gana?

    Are you hungry?

  3. La Júlia té una bicicleta.

    Júlia has a bicycle.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Present of TenirLevel 1

Learn This First

Identify the owner or experiencer controlling the verb.

Words in This Pattern