Conjugate tener in the preterite tense in Spanish (El Pretérito Indefinido)

Written by qualified Spanish expert Silvia Piriz BA

Last updated: 2022-01-05

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The verb tener (to have) is irregular in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish.

Learn how to conjugate "tener" in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish

yo	tuve
tú	tuviste
él/ella/Ud.	tuvo
nosotros / nosotras	tuvimos
vosotros / vosotras	tuvisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds.	tuvieron

Here are some examples to look at and listen to:

Yo tuve un sueño muy bonito anoche.I had a very beautiful dream last night.

Tú tuviste mucha suerte con tu marido.You were very lucky with your husband.

Usted tuvo más de un millón de dólares.You had more than a million dollars.

Nosotros tuvimos un Ferrari antiguamente.We had a Ferrari in the past.

Vosotros tuvisteis una moto.You had a motorbike.

Ellas tuvieron mucho dinero.They had a lot of money.

Ustedes tuvieron suerte con el colegio de sus hijos.You were lucky with your children's school.

Bear in mind that all derivatives of "tener" follow the same pattern, e.g. obtener, detener, retener...

Here is a list with more verbs that follow the same pattern like tener in El Pretérito Indefinido: Spanish verbs deviated from "tener".

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