Tener Preterite: Spanish Conjugation & Examples

When people first learn Spanish, they often use tenía for almost everything in the past. That works sometimes, but it breaks down fast in real conversation. If you want to say "I had a meeting yesterday," "we had a problem this morning," or "I had to leave at 8," you need tener in the preterite.

This guide shows the complete conjugation, explains the difference between tuve and tenía, and gives examples that reflect real communication instead of isolated grammar drills.

Tener Preterite Conjugation

Tener uses the irregular stem tuv- in preterite, just like estar uses estuv- and andar uses anduv-. You cannot derive these forms from the infinitive by rule, so they should be learned as a full set.

When to Use Tener in Preterite

Use preterite for situations that are completed and bounded in time.

1) One-Time Past Events

• Ayer tuve una entrevista.
  (Yesterday I had an interview.)
• Tuviste mucha paciencia conmigo.
  (You had a lot of patience with me.)
• Tuvimos una llamada urgente.
  (We had an urgent call.)

2) Completed Obligations with "tener que"

• Tuve que salir temprano.
  (I had to leave early.)
• Tuvieron que cancelar la clase.
  (They had to cancel the class.)

In many contexts, tuve que + infinitive implies the action happened. If you say tuve que estudiar, listeners often understand that you studied.

3) Specific Emotional or Physical States in the Past

• Tuve miedo antes del examen.
  (I was afraid before the exam.)
• Tuvimos hambre después de caminar tres horas.
  (We were hungry after walking three hours.)

If you can answer "When exactly did it happen?" with a specific moment, preterite is usually right.

Time Markers That Commonly Trigger Preterite

• ayer (yesterday)
• anoche (last night)
• el mes pasado (last month)
• la semana pasada (last week)
• en 2024 (in 2024)
• una vez (once)
• de repente (suddenly)

Example:

• Ayer tuve una conversación difícil.
• Una vez tuvimos una clase en línea con 120 personas.

Frequent Expressions with Tener Preterite

• Tuve suerte. (I was lucky.)
• Tuvo razón. (He/She was right.)
• Tuvimos éxito. (We succeeded.)
• Tuvieron problemas técnicos. (They had technical problems.)
• No tuve tiempo. (I did not have time.)

These fixed expressions are high-frequency in interviews, meetings, and storytelling.

Common Mistakes

1. Using regular endings: tené, teniste
   Correct: tuve, tuviste
2. Mixing preterite and imperfect randomly:
   Use preterite for completed events; imperfect for habits/background.
3. Forgetting agreement in context:
   Tuvieron razón (plural), not tuvo razón.
4. Overusing literal translation from English:
   Spanish often uses tener where English uses "to be" (tuve hambre, tuve frío).

Practice Block

Fill in the blanks

1. Ayer yo ___ una reunión larga.
2. Nosotros ___ que cambiar el plan.
3. ¿Tú ___ tiempo para estudiar?
4. Ellos ___ suerte con el clima.

Answers: tuve, tuvimos, tuviste, tuvieron

Choose preterite or imperfect

1. Cuando era niño, ___ un perro. (tenía)
2. El año pasado ___ un coche por seis meses. (tuve)
3. Ayer ___ que cancelar la cita. (tuve)

Final Takeaway

Tener preterite is not just a chart to memorize. It is a core storytelling tool for talking about obligations, experiences, emotions, and events that are done and complete. Mastering tuv- gives you immediate gains in spoken Spanish. If you want structured daily speaking practice with feedback, try Parlai after finishing the exercises above.