13 Possession, have, mi tu su
The verbo TENER (to have) is one of those verbos that undergo numerous irregularities among the verbs ending in ER. Conjugate it this way:
- Yo tengo (add a G)
- Tú tienes (E to IE in the stem)
- Él tiene, ella tiene, usted tiene (E to IE in the stem)
- Nosotros tenemos, nosotras tenemos (keep the E in the stem)
- Ellos tienen, ellas tienen, ustedes tienen (E to IE in the stem)
Notice that despite the many irregularities of TENER, I=YO still ends in O, You=tú in S, Él (he)/Ella (she)/Usted (formal singular YOU) in a vowel, We=Nosotros/Nosotras in MOS and They=Ellos/ellas in N.
Words to mark possession:
- Mi /mee/=my
- Tu /too/=your
- Su /soo/=his, her, their, or formal your
You just add an S if the THING possessed is plural. Examples:
- Mi novio=my boyfriend
- Mis amigos=my friends
- Tu primo=your (male) cousin
- Tus primos=your (male) cousins
- Su hijo=his OR her son
- Sus hijos=his OR her sons OR children
No changes happen for the gender of no one.
Sample conversations:
Naming friends and family members acquaintance:
This conversation prompts to discuss whether you have certain family members or acquaintances. After each sample you’ll find a vocab list you can follow to fill in the templates.
A: ¿Cómo se llama tu mejor amigo OR amiga?
B: Mi mejor amigo OR amiga se llama ____________.
Sample family members or acquittances: papa (=dad), mama (=mom), abuelo materno (=maternal grandfather), abuela materna (=maternal grandmother), abuelo paterno (=paternal grandfather), abuela paterna (=paternal grandmother)
A: ¿Tienes ___________ (add vocab acquaintance)?
B: Sí, tengo _______________ (repeat vocab acquaintance).
A: ¿Cómo se llama tu _____________ (repeat vocab acquaintance)?
B: Mi ___________________ (repeat vocab acquaintance) se llama __________________ (add name).
Sample vocab acquaintances: novio OR novia (=boyfriend OR girlfriend), esposo OR esposa (=spouse), compañero OR compañera de cuarto (=roommate)
A: ¿Tienes ___________ (add family member in plural)?
B: Sí, tengo _______________ (repeat family member in plural).
A: ¿Cómo se llaman tus _____________ (repeat family member in plural)?
B: Mis ___________________ (repeat family members in plural) se llaman __________________ y ___________________ (add names).
Sample family members: hijos (=children), hermanos (=sibblings), primos (=cousins), amigos (=friends)
