Spanish grammar · Beginner (A1)
Tener and hay
Use tener for “to have”, age and feelings like hunger, and hay for “there is” and “there are”.
Tener: to have
means “to have” (to own, or to have a family member). It is irregular: the form is and the stressed becomes ie in , and .
| Person | |
|---|---|
| / / | |
| / | |
| / | |
| / / |
- Tengo un perro.I have a dog.
- ¿Tienes hijos?Do you have children?
Where English uses “to be”
Spanish uses for age and for many physical feelings where English uses “to be”. Literally, you “have” years, hunger or cold. + infinitive means “to have to”.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| to be 30 years old | |
| to be hungry | |
| to be thirsty | |
| / | to be cold / hot |
| to be sleepy | |
| to be in a hurry | |
| to be right |
- ¿Cuántos años tienes? Tengo veinticinco.How old are you? I'm twenty-five.
- Tenemos mucha hambre.We're very hungry.
- Tengo que trabajar mañana.I have to work tomorrow.
Hay: there is, there are
(pronounced like English “eye”) means both “there is” and “there are”. It never changes for singular or plural. It comes from the verb .
Use to say that something exists, usually with , , a number or no article. To say where a specific thing is, use : (There's a bank in the square), but (The bank is in the square).
- ¿Hay una farmacia por aquí?Is there a pharmacy around here?
- Hay tres personas en la cola.There are three people in the queue.
- No hay leche.There's no milk.
- Hay que reservar mesa.You need to book a table.
Hay in other tenses
In other tenses, use the form of , always singular: (there was, there were, as a description), (there was, as a single event), (there will be), (there has been).
- Había mucha gente.There were a lot of people.
- Mañana habrá mucha gente en la fiesta.There will be a lot of people at the party tomorrow.