Spanish Verbs Tener and Ir

Spanish Verbs Tener and Ir in English:

When learning Spanish, it’s important to understand the verbs “tener” (to have) and “ir” (to go) as they are commonly used in various contexts. Below are the meanings and conjugations of these crucial verbs:

1. Tener (to have):
– Yo tengo: I have
– Tú tienes: You have (informal)
– Él/Ella/Usted tiene: He/She/You have (formal)
– Nosotros/Nosotras tenemos: We have
– Vosotros/Vosotras tenéis: You all have (informal)
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tienen: They/You all have (formal)

2. Ir (to go):
– Yo voy: I go
– Tú vas: You go (informal)
– Él/Ella/Usted va: He/She/You go (formal)
– Nosotros/Nosotras vamos: We go
– Vosotros/Vosotras vais: You all go (informal)
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes van: They/You all go (formal)

These verbs are widely used in everyday conversations and are essential for expressing possession and movement. Practice their conjugations to enhance your conversational skills in Spanish!

How to form the Spanish verbs tener and ir?

This lesson we are going to focus in two very handy Spanish verbs: “tener” and “ir” (both irregulars).

 

Tener = to have

 

Tener is to have:

Yo tengo un carro (I have a car)

Tú tienes dos perros (You have two dogs)

Él tiene una casa (He has a house)

Nosotros tenemos muchos libros (We have several books)

Ellos tienen las llaves (They have the keys)

 

Tener que = to have to

 

Tener que is to have to (obligation):

Yo tengo que lavar el carro (I have to wash the car)

Tú tienes que alimentar a los perros (You have to feed the dogs)

Él tiene que limpiar la casa (He has to clean the house)

Nosotros tenemos que comprar los libros (We have to buy the books)

Ellos tienen que encontrar las llaves (They have to find the keys)

 

Note 1: Notice that Tener que is follow by an infinitive verb.

Note 2: The combination of Tener + que forms the equivalent of the English to have to. However, in other contexts que (with an accent) is used as what: ¿Qué dia es hoy? (What day is today?)

Ir a = to go to

Ir a is to go to do something as a permanent activity, as a scheduled activity, or an activity that we do regularly:

Yo voy a la oficina todos los días (I go to the office every day)

Tú vas a la escuela todas las tardes (You go to the school every afternoon)

Ella va a la iglesia todos los domingos (She goes to the church every Sunday)

Nosotros vamos al cine todos los martes (We go to the movies every Tuesday)

 

Note: In Spanish you will find some contractions involving prepositions and articles:

 

a + el = al

Example: Nosotros vamos a el cine = Nosotros vamos al cine (We go to the movies)

 

Ir a = to be going to

Ir a is to be going to do something (in the future):

Yo voy a viajar mañana (I am going to travel tomorrow)

Tú vas a estudiar español (You are going to study Spanish)

Él va a buscar un hotel (He is going to look for a hotel)

Nosotros vamos a comprar los boletos (We are going to buy the tickets)

Ellos van a enseñar en Sudamerica (They are going to teach in South America)

 

Note: Pay attention to this structure: Ir + a + infinitive. So, to express in Spanish something that you are going to do in the future you conjugate the verb Ir, add the preposition a and then add an infinitive verb.

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