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The verb “to have” is translated in two ways in Spanish: haber and tener. In order to master Spanish, it is essential to understand the nuances between these two verbs.

1 – HABER

In Spanish, we use the verb haber to express:

Compound tenses

Haber is used to form all compound tenses (past compound, past perfect, future past, past tense) of the indicative, subjunctive and gerund. And this is true for all verbs.

In Spanish, the auxiliary “to be” does not exist. Spanish speakers only use the auxiliary “to have“. The past participle always remains invariable regardless of gender and number.

• He venido → I came.
• Helena ha regresado → Helena has returned.
• Se han marchado → They left.
• Mi hermana ha comprado cerezas → My sister bought some cherries.
• Los coches que he visto por la calle → The cars I saw on the street.
• A las ocho Manuel habrà preparado la cena → At 8:00 pm, Manuel will have prepared dinner.

In Spanish, we never separate auxiliary and past participle.

• Hemos comido demasiado → We ate too much.
• Esta tarde el niño se ha divertido tanto → This afternoon, the child had a great time.

The expression ‘There’

Like in English, this impersonal form is only conjugated in the 3rd person singular. In the present tense, ‘There is‘ is not translated by “Habe” but “Hay“.

• Hay un árbol en mi jardín → There is a tree in my garden.
• Hay dos camas en esta habitación → There are two beds in this room.
• Hubo tres manzanas en mi cesto → There were three apples in my basket.
• Habrá centenares de huéspedes en la fiesta → There will be hundreds of guests at the party.

The expression ‘Have to’

In Spanish, ‘Have to’ is translated with Hay que. This locution is always followed by an infinitive.

• Hay que darse prisa para no llegar tarde : You have to hurry so you don’t arrive late.
• Habrá que resolver este problema cuanto antes : We will have to solve this problem as soon as possible.
• Había que actuar más rápido : We had to react more quickly.
• Hubo que llamar a la policía : We had to call the police.
• Habría que reparar la lavadora : We have to fix the washing machine. (= The washing machine should be repaired).

An obligation

The locution Haber de + infinitive also expresses obligation. However, the use of this formula is less frequent.

• Han de estudiar para aprobar el examen → They must study to pass the exam.

2 – TENER

In Spanish, we use the verb tener to express:

Possession

• Tengo un perro → I have a dog.
• Tienen tres bicibletas → They have three bikes.
• Tuve mucha suerte → I was very lucky.

The age

• Esta mujer tiene 40 años → This woman is 40 years old.

The sensation

• Tenemos frío → We are cold.
• Teníais calor → You were hot.

Feelings

• Tuvimos miedo → We were scared.

Obligation

“Must” is translated by the locution “tener que”, always followed by an infinitive. The verb “deber” is also used. However, “tener que” is the most commonly used formula.

• Tengo que llamar a mi padre → I must call my father.
• Tenía que decirte la verdad → He had to tell you the truth.
• Los niños tendrían que acostarse temprano → The kids should go to bed early.

Insistence and dissatisfaction

The locution “tener + past participle” expresses insistence, exasperation and even discontent.

• Te tengo dicho que hagas tus deberes → I’m telling you to do your homework.

An accomplished fact

The expression “tener + past participle” expresses the accomplishment of a fact. In this case, the past participle agrees in gender and number.

• Pablo ya tenía planchadas sus camisetas → Pablo had already ironed his shirts.
• A las once, tendremos limpiada nuestra habitación → At eleven o’clock, our room will be cleaned.

Practice – Tener vs Haber

👉 Next lesson: Hay vs Está

👈 Previous lesson: To be: Ser vs Estar

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Tags: Grammar