español · A2 · verb · 4 minutes
Tener in the preterite
Recall the strong tuv- stem for completed experiences and obligations.
Understand the choice
Use tuve forms for possession, experiences, and obligations that arose or were contained in a completed past situation. The strong stem tuv- is shared across all six persons.
Core rule: The strong preterite stem tuv- takes endings without written accents.
Notice it in context
Tuve un problema, pero tuvimos tiempo para resolverlo.
I had a problem, but we had time to solve it.
The strong preterite stem tuv- takes endings without written accents.
Tuviste mucha paciencia conmigo.
You had a lot of patience with me.
Tuviste is the familiar singular form.
Tuvieron que cancelar el vuelo.
They had to cancel the flight.
Tuvieron que expresses a completed obligation.
What to remember
- Tuve, tuviste, tuvo, tuvimos, tuvisteis, tuvieron take no written accents.
- Tener que stays intact in the past: tuvieron que cancelar means they had to cancel.
Common trap: Do not preserve the present-tense stem changes in the preterite: tienieron and tení are wrong. Start from tuv- for every person.