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Conjugate Spanish verb tener in the Spanish imperfect subjunctive (El Imperfecto de Subjuntivo)

Written by qualified Spanish expert Silvia Piriz BA
Last updated: 2022-04-20
19 questions

We use El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo in some subordinate clauses and in particularly polite requests.

Learn how to conjugate tener in El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo in Spanish

Rather unusually, this tense has two conjugation forms. Take a look at tener conjugations in El Pretérito Imperfecto Subjuntivo:

Conjugation 1 (used widely in speech in Spain, Latin America and South America)

yo tuviera
tú tuvieras
él / ella / Ud. tuviera
nosotros tuviéramos
vosotros tuvierais
ellos / ellas / Uds.   tuvieran

 Conjugation 2 (used more in written language and in Spain)

yo tuviese
tú tuvieses
él / ella / Ud. tuviese
nosotros tuviésemos
vosotros tuvieseis
ellos / ellas / Uds.   tuviesen

Read and listen to these examples:

Quizás yo tuviera una escoba para barrer.Maybe I had a broom to sweep up with.

Quizás yo tuviese un amante en Teruel.I might have had a lover in Teruel.

Quizás tú tuvieras muchos amigos en Inglaterra.Maybe you had lots of friends in England.

No estaría bien que tú tuvieses tanto tiempo libre.It wouldn't be good if you had that much free time.

Sería positivo que ella tuviera más apoyo de sus profesores.It would be good if she had more support from her teachers.

No aceptaba que su amigo tuviera una serpiente en casa.She couldn't accept that her friend had a snake at home.

Ojalá nosotros tuviéramos más fotos del viaje.I wish we had more pictures of the trip.

Ojalá nosotras tuviésemos mucho dinero para gastar.I wish we had a lot of money to spend.

No sabía que vosotros tuviérais una casa en la playa.I didn't know that you had a house at the beach.

No pensaba que vosotras tuviéseis problemas con la justicia.I didn't think that you had problems with the law.

Tal vez ellos tuvieran motivos para no venir.Maybe they had a reason for not coming.

Tal vez ellas tuviesen demasiado equipaje en el avión.Maybe they had too much luggage in the plane.

See also Conjugate Spanish verbs in the Spanish imperfect subjunctive tense (El Imperfecto de Subjuntivo).

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Examples and resources

No estaría bien que tú tuvieses tanto tiempo libre.It wouldn't be good if you had that much free time.
No pensaba que vosotras tuviéseis problemas con la justicia.I didn't think that you had problems with the law.
No sabía que vosotros tuviérais una casa en la playa.I didn't know that you had a house at the beach.
Quizás yo tuviese un amante en Teruel.I might have had a lover in Teruel.
No aceptaba que su amigo tuviera una serpiente en casa.She couldn't accept that her friend had a snake at home.
Quizás tú tuvieras muchos amigos en Inglaterra.Maybe you had lots of friends in England.
Ojalá nosotras tuviésemos mucho dinero para gastar.I wish we had a lot of money to spend.
Quizás yo tuviera una escoba para barrer.Maybe I had a broom to sweep up with.
Ojalá nosotros tuviéramos más fotos del viaje.I wish we had more pictures of the trip.
Tal vez ellas tuviesen demasiado equipaje en el avión.Maybe they had too much luggage in the plane.
Sería positivo que ella tuviera más apoyo de sus profesores.It would be good if she had more support from her teachers.
Tal vez ellos tuvieran motivos para no venir.Maybe they had a reason for not coming.
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