Spanish
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Spanish.
tener muchos años
The Spanish phrase 'tener muchos años' translates to 'having many years' in English. This generally refers to someone or something being old or having been around for a long time. It is used to indicate age or period of existence in a more casual and informal manner.
tener náuseas
The Spanish phrase 'tener náuseas' translates to 'having nausea' in English. In Spanish, 'tener' means 'to have' and 'náuseas' means 'nausea'. It's a common phrase used in medical contexts or in daily conversation when someone is feeling sick or unwell. Remember, in Spanish, adjectives often come after the noun they modify, which is why 'náuseas' comes after 'tener'.
Example sentences with tener náuseas →tener novio
The phrase 'tener novio' in Spanish translates to 'having a boyfriend' in English. This is usually used to describe someone who is in a romantic relationship with a male partner. For example, a woman might use this phrase to disclose that she is currently dating someone. Note that the verb 'tener' means 'to have' in English, while 'novio' translates to 'boyfriend'. This phrase is a straightforward representation of these individual translations put together.
tener pareja
The Spanish phrase 'tener pareja' translates to 'having a couple' in English. This phrase is often used in the context of personal relationships, indicating that someone has a significant other or a romantic partner. It isn't strictly referring to a marital partner; it can also refer to a boyfriend, girlfriend, or any romantic partner.
tener personalidad
The Spanish phrase 'tener personalidad' translates to 'having personality' in English. This is usually used to describe someone who has a distinctive or unique character. This could refer to their characteristics, attitudes, or behaviors that make them unique or stand out from others. It typically implies a strong, noticeable character rather than a weak or unnoticeable one. It can also refer to confidence or self-expression.
tener personalidad
The Spanish phrase 'tener personalidad' translates to 'having personality' in English. It generally refers to an individual exhibiting distinctive characteristics, traits or behaviors, that define their individuality or uniqueness. It can be used in both positive and negative contexts, indicating a strong, weak or specific type of personality. It is frequently employed in conversational and written Spanish.
tener poco carácter
The Spanish phrase 'tener poco carácter' translates to 'having little character' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who is seen as weak, lacks assertiveness or strength of character. Notably, it does not typically relate to morality or honesty, as the concept of 'character' often does in English, but more with personal strength, determination, or backbone.
tener pocos años
The Spanish phrase 'tener pocos años' translates directly to English as 'having few years'. This phrase is often used to refer to someone who is young. In English, an equivalent phrase might be 'being of a young age'. It is used in both formal and informal speech, to describe the age of a person in a somewhat indirect and poetic manner.
tener precios especiales
The phrase 'tener precios especiales' in Spanish translates to 'have special prices' in English. The verb 'tener' means 'to have', 'precios' translates to 'prices', and 'especiales' means 'special'. Therefore, when these words are combined, it refers to the scenario where special prices are offered, likely in the context of a store or sale.
tener preferencia
The term 'tener preferencia' in Spanish translates to 'have preference' in English. It refers to the act of favoring or showing a stronger liking for one thing over another. It could be used in various contexts such as personal choices, tastes, or decisions. One might use this term when they wish to express that they favor one option more than the other(s), thus asserting their preference.
Example sentences with tener preferencia →tener rebajas
The Spanish phrase 'tener rebajas' translates to 'have discounts' in English. This can be used in a retail or sales context. When a store 'tiene rebajas', it means they're offering products at lowered prices for a certain period. This can also refer to bargains or sale items in a store.
tener resaca
The Spanish phrase 'tener resaca' translates directly to 'having a hangover' in English. It is commonly used in conversational Spanish to express the feeling of headache, nausea, and general discomfort that often follows after an indulgence in an excessive amount of alcohol. For example, if someone drank too much wine last night and they are feeling ill the next morning, they could say, 'Tengo resaca', which means 'I have a hangover'. However, the severity of 'resaca' can vary from person to person and situation to situation, depending on different factors such as the amount consumed or the individual's tolerance to alcohol.
tener sangre fría
'Tener sangre fría' in Spanish is what we call 'having cold blood' in English, which does not mean literally having one's blood temperature lowered. It is a slang for being calm and composed, especially in stressful or demanding situations. This phrase is often used to describe someone who is able to keep a 'cool head' or control their feelings and emotions under pressure.
tener secundarios
The Spanish phrase 'tener secundarios' translates to 'have secondary education' in English. It signifies an individual's possession or attainment of education beyond primary school, but not as high as a college or tertiary institution. The term 'secundarios' refers specifically to secondary or high school level education, and 'tener' is a verb meaning 'to have' in English. Thus, when someone says 'tener secundarios', they are stating that they have completed, or they possess, secondary education.
tener sed
The Spanish phrase 'tener sed' translates to 'be thirsty' in English. It is often used when someone wants to express that they have a physical need to drink something, typically water or other hydrating beverages. In English, we directly say 'I am thirsty', but in Spanish, the verb 'tener' is used to express a variety of states or feelings, in this case, thirst. Therefore, 'Yo tengo sed' would translate as 'I am thirsty'.
tener sentido del humor
The phrase 'tener sentido del humor' in Spanish translates to 'have a sense of humor' in English. It refers to the ability to perceive, appreciate, or express what is funny, amusing, or ludicrous. This phrase is used in various contexts, usually to describe someone's personality trait. It can denote a positive quality, signifying that the person can understand humor and laugh at things or situations that most people find amusing. This phrase plays a important role in conversation, as it adds to the dynamics of social interaction.
tener sida
The Spanish phrase 'tener sida' translates to 'have AIDS' in English. It is used to convey that someone possesses or is diagnosed with AIDS, a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. It's worth noting however, that terms related to diseases and health conditions should be used with utmost care and respect to avoid causing any offense.
Example sentences with tener sida →tener talento artístico
The Spanish phrase 'tener talento artístico' translates to 'having artistic talent' in English. This involves being gifted in areas such as drawing, painting, dancing, writing, or anything that pertains to the arts. This phrase is often used to express the natural inclination or skill that a person has towards portraying creativity in an artistic form.
Example sentences with tener talento artístico →tener talento interpretativo
The phrase 'tener talento interpretativo' in Spanish translates to 'to have interpretative talent' in English. It refers to the ability of an individual to express or perform something, significantly a piece of art, music, drama or any other creative endeavor, in such a way that clearly conveys its intended meaning or emotion. This might include the capacity to emulate a role in a play, the skills to depict a character in a novel, or the ability to perform a piece of music in a manner that communicates the emotions the composure intended.
Example sentences with tener talento interpretativo →tener talento musical
The Spanish phrase 'tener talento musical' translates to 'having musical talent' in English. This typically refers to an individual's innate or developed ability to perform or create music. It includes various skills like singing, playing musical instruments, writing song lyrics, or composing music. A person with such talent often has a good ear for rhythm and melody and can express themselves through musical forms.
Example sentences with tener talento musical →tener tarjeta de cliente
The Spanish phrase 'tener tarjeta de cliente' translates into English as 'have customer card'. This phrase might be used in an environment such as a store or business, where customers may have loyalty or membership cards. The verb 'tener' means 'to have', 'tarjeta' translates to 'card', and 'cliente' means 'customer'. Therefore, when someone says 'tener tarjeta de cliente', it means they possess, or they are referring to, a card associated with being a customer of a particular establishment.
Example sentences with tener tarjeta de cliente →tener tarjeta de fidelidad
The Spanish phrase 'tener tarjeta de fidelidad' translates to 'have a loyalty card' in English. This phrase is commonly used in scenarios related to shopping or business transactions. A loyalty card is a card issued by a store or chain to a consumer, typically affixed to a keychain or kept in a wallet, that can be used to earn points, benefits, or discounts on future purchases. In Spanish, the phrase could be used in a similar context, such as when a store clerk asks a customer if they have a loyalty card with the establishment.
Example sentences with tener tarjeta de fidelidad →tener teléfono
The Spanish phrase 'tener teléfono' translates to 'have a phone' in English. This phrase could be used in differing contexts indicating the possession or availability of a telephone. For instance, when asked about one's ability to communicate via telephone, one might respond affirmatively using 'tener teléfono'. It's also important to note that 'tener' is a verb meaning 'to have' and 'teléfono' is a noun meaning 'phone'. The combination of these words result in the English phrase 'have a phone'.
tener temperamento
The Spanish phrase 'tener temperamento' translates to 'have temperament' in English. It is typically used to describe a person's baseline mood disposition or personality. This phrase could be used to indicate whether a person is generally calm, easily angered, cheerful, etc. The temperament a person 'has' could refer to numerous aspects of their psychological makeup.
tener temperamento
The Spanish phrase 'tener temperamento' translates to 'have temperament' in English. This can refer to showing a particular mood or attitude, often strong in nature. For instance, personality traits like being easily irritated or excitable are associated with having temperament. The phrase is used to describe someone's character or disposition that is considered as a unique individual feature.
tener tiempo libre
The word 'tener tiempo libre' in Spanish translates to 'having free time' in English.
tener tos
The term 'tener tos' in Spanish translates to 'have coughs' in English. It is often used to express the physical condition of having a cough, such as during an illness or when experiencing irritation in the throat. Similar to its usage in English, it can be used in a variety of contexts. For instance, to say 'I have a cough' in Spanish, one would say 'Yo tengo tos'.
Example sentences with tener tos →tener trabajo
The Spanish phrase 'tener trabajo' is directly translated into English as 'to have work'. It is used to signify one's possession of work, tasks or duties. It could refer to both the state of employment or any kind of task or responsibility that someone might have. For instance, in a sentence it could be used as follows: 'No puedo salir esta noche porque tengo trabajo' which means 'I can't go out tonight because I have work.'
tener un [número cardinal]
The Spanish phrase 'tener un [número cardinal]' translates to 'have a [cardinal number]' in English. In this context, 'tener' means 'to have', 'un' means 'a', and '[número cardinal]' is a placeholder for any cardinal number - these are numbers indicating quantity, such as one, two, three etc. So, if you were to say 'tener un dos' in Spanish, you would be saying 'have a two' in English. This phrase is a simple construction in Spanish language that demonstrates possession or ownership of a specific quantity of something.
tener un accidente
The Spanish phrase 'tener un accidente' translates to 'having an accident' in English. It is used in situations where an unforeseen incident involving injury or damage has occurred. The term is commonly used in daily conversations and involves the verb 'tener' which means 'to have' in English, and the noun 'accidente' which means 'accident' in English.
Example sentences with tener un accidente →