How Do You Spell TENER?

Pronunciation: [tˈɛnə] (IPA)

The Spanish verb "tener" is commonly used to express possession and is sometimes spelled as "tenér" with an accent mark on the last syllable. The correct spelling of the word follows the phonetic transcription /teˈneɾ/ with stress on the second syllable. The "e" in the first syllable is pronounced as /e/ with an open-mid vowel sound, and the "n" before the final "er" is pronounced as /n/ with nasal consonance. The accent mark in "tenér" serves to distinguish the word from its homophones, such as the verb tense "tene" and the adjective "tenaz."

Meaning and Definition
Etymology
Basic Check Advanced Check

TENER Meaning and Definition

  1. Tener is a Spanish verb that can be translated as "to have" in English. It is an irregular verb and belongs to the group of verbs known as "stem-changing" or "boot" verbs. Tener is highly versatile and is used in various contexts to express possession, experience, physical sensations, age, obligation, and others.

    In terms of possession, tener indicates ownership or the fact of having something. For example, "Yo tengo un coche" translates to "I have a car." Tener is also used to express the possession of abstract ideas or emotions such as tener hambre (to be hungry) or tener miedo (to be afraid).

    Another common use of tener is to express physical sensations or states of being, such as tener frío (to be cold) or tener sueño (to be sleepy). Additionally, tener can denote experience or participation in actions, for instance, tener éxito (to be successful) or tener suerte (to be lucky).

    Tener is commonly employed to convey age, as in tener 30 años (to be 30 years old). In certain expressions, tener is used to describe obligations or requirements, like tener que estudiar (to have to study). Tener can also be part of idiomatic expressions or phrases, such as tener en cuenta (to take into account) or tener la palabra (to have the floor).

    In summary, tener is a highly versatile verb in Spanish that represents the concept of possession, experience, physical sensations, age, obligations, and idiomatic expressions.

Etymology of TENER

The word "tener" originated from the Latin term "tenēre", which means "to hold" or "to grasp". It underwent phonetic changes over time before evolving into the Spanish word "tener", which still retains the fundamental concept of holding or possessing something.