A1 · Unit 4 · Lesson 1
Ter: having and there being
Possession, age, and the all-purpose Brazilian “tem” — one verb doing the work of three.
“Ter” means “to have”, but Brazilians stretch it to cover age and even “there is / there are”.
The shapes of ter
tenho, tem, temos, têm. Note the little hat on “têm” (they have) that marks the plural.
Conjugate it — ter
Present · reveal each person, then keep the cheat card.
Eu tenho um cachorro.
I have a dog.
Ela tem tempo.
She has time.
Eles têm uma casa na praia.
They have a beach house.
Age is something you “have”
Portuguese doesn't say you “are” a number of years — you “have” them. Ask with “Quantos anos você tem?”.
Spot the pattern
English “is” years old, but Portuguese “has” them. Predict the Portuguese.
Tenho vinte anos.
I'm twenty.
Ele tem dez anos.
He's ten years old.
Quantos anos ela tem?
How old is she?
“Tem” for “there is / there are”
In everyday speech “tem” means “there is” or “there are”, whatever follows. The formal written version is “há”.
Tem leite na geladeira.
There's milk in the fridge.
Tem muitos turistas hoje.
There are lots of tourists today.
Não tem problema.
There's no problem.
Common mistakes
- — Age uses ter, never ser: it's “tenho trinta anos”, not “sou trinta anos”.
- — Spoken “tem” covers both “there is” and “there are” — it doesn't change for the plural.
- — Mind the hat: singular “ele tem”, plural “eles têm”.
14 exercises · pass at 85% · missed items return until you clear them