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

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

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.

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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Examples and resources

Yo tuve un sueño muy bonito anoche.I had a very beautiful dream last night.
tuviste mucha suerte con tu marido.You were very lucky with your husband.
Nosotros tuvimos un Ferrari antiguamente.We had a Ferrari in the past.
Ellas tuvieron mucho dinero.They had a lot of money.
Vosotros tuvisteis una moto.You had a motorbike.
Usted tuvo más de un millón de dólares.You had more than a million dollars.
Ustedes tuvieron suerte con el colegio de sus hijos.You were lucky with your children's school.
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