Fixed expressions with the verb “Tener”

[ricktoronto]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

That's what I suspected. You might not notice it if the vos is dropped, as it so often is, and the conjugations are sometimes the same, or at least very similar.

Tu tienes - vos tenés
Tu sabes - vos sabés (not sure)
Tu vives - vos vivís

The main difference is the stress on the second syllable. Usually I'm too lazy to do accents as my laptop won't always let me and I have to copy and paste from Word, but this time I had to.

What is much more distinctive is 'sos'

Tu eres - vos sos.

Here is something timely - I got an e-mail from a Nicaraguan lady today who asked me ...y vos?

There you go. I can see minus the pronoun you'd have to work hard to hear the difference. With my Spanish tin ear more so.

[Marianopolita]

This is an interesting discussion that unfolded here and I was able to foresee it coming when I saw Miguel's comment that "vosotros" is used in six Latin American countries. This usage is called el voseo and it is defined in linguistic terms as "un rasgo de arcaísmo lingüístico". It is used characteristically with a simplified plural form such vos estabais (instead of vosotros estabais) or it is used to replaced the tú form for example vos estabas. The forms that are heard typically in Argentina, Chile, Colombia just to name a few countries are regional forms of my previous example. When you hear vos cantás and vos tomás these are regional forms of the archaic form vos cantabas and vos tomabas.


LDG.

[Marianopolita]

I forgot to add one to my list:

To have a pain = tener dolor de (muela, cabeza etc.)


LDG.

[ricktoronto]

Originally Posted by Lesley D

I forgot to add one to my list:

To have a pain = tener dolor de (muela, cabeza etc.)


LDG.

I thought the form was me duele la cabeza (to me hurts my head), vs. tengo dolor...etc.

Along the lines of gustar.

[juancarlos]

In those Latin American countries where they use vos, they use it instead of tú. They do not use vos they way it was traditionally employed in the past, for example, the correct way is to say: Vos sois, Vos teneis, etc. The same way it is still used with vosotros. This Vos used to be equivalent to the French Vous, but while the latter is still used to formally address someone, in Spanish the former is no longer used this way, except in plays. Vosotros was retained in Spain only, as the second person plural. The rest of the Spanish speaking world uses ustedes instead, although in truth, it is conjugated like the third person plural, in other words, like ellos.

Ustedes son, Ustedes saben
Ellos son, ellos saben

The reason for this is that usted is a contraction of two words: Vuestra Merced. Something like Your Honor, or Your whatever: So in English one would say to a judge: Is your honor aware of.... or Does your higheness know.. always using the third person, even though you are addressing someone in front of you. So it is in Spanish when you say: Usted sabe... It is conjugated the same way as when you say El sabe.

That is the reason why you most often see
Nosotros
Vosotros
ellos

and not

Nosotros
Ustedes
ellos

Although in reality, this is the way it is actually used by almost everyone, including people in the Canary Islands and many in Andalucia and everyone in the Americas. Only in the rest of Spain they use vosotros as the familiar plural for the second person. The rest use ustedes both as the familiar and the formal plural.

[Marianopolita]

Ricktoronto,

You can use both forms. Although me duele + seems more common.


Actually in retrospect I would say "me duele la cabeza" but "tengo dolor de muela".

Anyone care to comment? Juancarlos?

LDG.

Originally Posted by ricktoronto

I thought the form was me duele la cabeza (to me hurts my head), vs. tengo dolor...etc.

Along the lines of gustar.

[juancarlos]

Actually in retrospect I would say "me duele la cabeza" but "tengo dolor de muela".

That's what I usually say too.

[Stodgord]

Originally Posted by juancarlos

Actually in retrospect I would say "me duele la cabeza" but "tengo dolor de muela".

That's what I usually say too.

Can't you say "tengo un dolor de muela" or tengo un dolor de cabeza? I usually use this form instead of "tengo dolor de muela" . Just want to know if I am using it right.

[juancarlos]

Originally Posted by Stodgord

Can't you say "tengo un dolor de muela" or tengo un dolor de cabeza? I usually use this form instead of "tengo dolor de muela" . Just want to know if I am using it right.

Actually, you can say it both ways. In that case you say: tengo dolor de muela or tengo dolor de cabeza. Without the "un". In English you say: I have a headache. In Spanish you don't really need its equivalent. Unless, of course, your intention is to highlight how terrible the pain you are feeling is. For example: Tengo un dolor de cabeza que me tiene loco! I have a headache( so strong) that is driving me crazy! or Tengo un dolor de muela que no aguanto más. I can't stand this toothache anymore! or something like that.

[hugoke01]

Would like to add e few more uses of the verb TENER (maybe I overlooked it )

TENGO 7 AÑOS - I'm 7 years old
and others like :

Le tengo mucho cariño : I like him a lot

Tener celos : To be jealous ..

In Spain I heard several times : Y vos - but have never heard it being used with a verb :

Originally Posted by Lesley D

I forgot to add one to my list:

To have a pain = tener dolor de (muela, cabeza etc.)


LDG.