The Life Starter
Sign up
Grade 10 · lesson 1 of 4

Use Tener for Supplied Age or Possession

Tener uses tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos and tienen in the practiced present paradigm.

About 20 minutes, plus any extended practice

Download the grade pack

Supplied materials

  • Paper or a browser scratch area; no audio recording, account or private information is needed.
  • Complete the original present-time sentence for yo. Verb tener means have. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). “yo ___”. Which missing form matches this subject? Candidate answers: (A) tenemos (B) tengo (C) tiene (D) tienes.
  • Complete the original present-time sentence for tú. Verb tener means have. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). “tú ___”. Which missing form matches this subject? Candidate answers: (A) tenemos (B) tengo (C) tiene (D) tienes.

Learn the idea

Common verbs have forms that cannot all be produced from a regular ending rule. Learn supplied paradigms in meaningful contexts, then check subject agreement rather than treating every changed stem as an error. Tener uses tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos and tienen in the practiced present paradigm. Spanish age descriptions conventionally use tener plus años; a direct English be-verb substitution would change the intended construction.

Match the named subject to the tener form. Retain the supplied phrase quince años for the fictional age statement, or un cuaderno for possession. Learn tengo as the yo form and preserve tenemos without the ie change.

The question supplies a fictional age or possession; no real personal information is requested. Do not use soy quince años for age. Tener also appears in other expressions, but this task limits its meanings to those supplied.

  1. Copy the supplied example and underline its speaker, noun, time cue or evidence words.
  2. Apply the shown language rule; keep any required ending, accent or paired punctuation.
  3. Solve the changed independent check, then explain why one offered alternative fails.
  4. Complete all three new practice cases and use the model to correct the precise word or meaning.
Worked example

See the method in action

Supplied case: Complete the original present-time sentence for yo. Verb tener means have. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). “yo ___”. Which missing form matches this subject? Candidate answers: (A) tenemos (B) tengo (C) tiene (D) tienes. Solution: The present paradigm for this verb pairs yo with tengo. This form must be learned rather than produced by an assumed fully regular pattern; the other options refer to a different grammatical person or number. Final result: tengo. The question supplies a fictional age or possession; no real personal information is requested. Do not use soy quince años for age. Tener also appears in other expressions, but this task limits its meanings to those supplied.

Your turn

Check your reasoning

Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.

Helpful tips
  • Match the named subject to the tener form.
  • The question supplies a fictional age or possession; no real personal information is requested.
Complete the original present-time sentence for tú. Verb tener means have. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). “tú ___”. Which missing form matches this subject?

Feedback appears here after you check. This is practice, not a graded school assessment.

See the answer and explanation

tienes

The present paradigm for this verb pairs tú with tienes. This form must be learned rather than produced by an assumed fully regular pattern; the other options refer to a different grammatical person or number.

Take it further

Turn the third-person label “ella tiene” into the speaker’s own yo statement, keeping tener (have) present. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). Which replacement form is needed? Candidate answers: (A) tenemos (B) tengo (C) tiene (D) tienes. Expected result: tengo. The present paradigm for this verb pairs yo with tengo. This form must be learned rather than produced by an assumed fully regular pattern; the other options refer to a different grammatical person or number.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.

More practice: try new cases

Choose an answer for each problem. Explain your method on paper, then use the feedback to decide what to revisit.

More practice: try new cases
1. Complete the original present-time sentence for ella. Verb tener means have. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). “ella ___”. Which missing form matches this subject?
Need a hint?
  • Match the named subject to the tener form.
  • The question supplies a fictional age or possession; no real personal information is requested.
2. Complete the original present-time sentence for nosotros. Verb tener means have. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). “nosotros ___”. Which missing form matches this subject?
Need a hint?
  • Match the named subject to the tener form.
  • The question supplies a fictional age or possession; no real personal information is requested.
3. Complete the original present-time sentence for ustedes. Verb tener means have. The supplied completion describes “quince años” (age fifteen) or “un cuaderno” (a notebook). “ustedes ___”. Which missing form matches this subject?
Need a hint?
  • Match the named subject to the tener form.
  • The question supplies a fictional age or possession; no real personal information is requested.

Your choices are temporary. Feedback appears after you check all the answers.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. Keep your own notes or download them before leaving. The score describes these questions; it does not certify subject mastery.

Check the subject sources

These LifeStarter passages, scenarios and exercises are authored for this Academy with AI assistance and review. External resources keep their publishers’ terms. A grade label suggests a starting level; it does not establish alignment with your school’s complete requirements.