New
New
Year 4

I'm hungry: 'tener' meaning 'be'

Learning outcomes

I can use 'tener' to mean 'to have, having', and with certain nouns to mean 'to be, being'.

I can pronounce [n] and [ñ] correctly.

New
New
Year 4

I'm hungry: 'tener' meaning 'be'

Learning outcomes

I can use 'tener' to mean 'to have, having', and with certain nouns to mean 'to be, being'.

I can pronounce [n] and [ñ] correctly.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. The sounds [n] and [ñ] are pronounced differently.
  2. The verb 'tener' can mean 'to have, having' but also 'to be, being'.

Keywords

  • [ñ] - pronounced as in 'español'

  • Tengo - part of the verb 'tener' and meaning 'I have'; with some nouns 'tengo' also translates as 'I am'

  • Tiene - part of the verb 'tener' and meaning 'she, he it has'; with some nouns 'tiene' also translates as 'she, he, it is'

Common misconception

[n] and [ñ] make the same sound.

The sounds [n] and [ñ] are pronounced differently. [ñ] is pronounced as in 'español'.


To help you plan your year 4 Spanish lesson on: I'm hungry: 'tener' meaning 'be', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

It may be helpful to provide additional opportunities to practise the dual use of 'tener' for pupils to develop their confidence with using it for 'to be' rather than 'to have'.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
'Mi tortuga es largo y mi gato es gigante.' How many hard [g] sounds can you spot in this sentence?
Correct Answer: 4, four
Q2.
Which word means 'your'?
Correct answer: tu
mi
un
el
Q3.
Match the Spanish and the English.
Correct Answer:tú hablas,you speak

you speak

Correct Answer:tú tienes,you have

you have

Correct Answer:tu casa,your house

your house

Correct Answer:tu perro,your dog

your dog

Q4.
'You have your book.' Which is the correct translation?
Tú tienes tú libro.
Tu tienes tu libro.
Tu tienes tú libro.
Correct answer: Tú tienes tu libro.
Q5.
Order the words to say: 'My favourite animal is the bear.'
1 - mi
2 - animal
3 - favorito
4 - es
5 - el
6 - oso
Q6.
Which of these are my favourite things?
Correct answer: Mi animal favorito es el conejo.
Correct answer: Mi actividad favorita es el fútbol.
Tu animal favorito es el elefante.
Tu clase favorita es el inglés.
Correct answer: Mi libro favorito es 'Mystery Maze'.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which sound-spelling correspondence is missing from these words? ma_ana, monta_a, espa_ol
Correct Answer: ñ
Q2.
Match the English and Spanish.
Correct Answer:tener,to have, having

to have, having

Correct Answer:diferente,different

different

Correct Answer:inteligente,intelligent

intelligent

Correct Answer:demasiado,too

too

Correct Answer:amable,kind

kind

Correct Answer:divertido,fun, funny

fun, funny

Q3.
Match the Spanish and English.
Correct Answer:el hambre,(the) hunger

(the) hunger

Correct Answer:la sed,(the) thirst

(the) thirst

Correct Answer:la razón,(the) reason

(the) reason

Correct Answer:el año,(the) year

(the) year

Q4.
Which sentences use 'tener' as 'to have, having'?
Correct answer: Tengo un sombrero.
Correct answer: Tiene una tortuga.
Tengo razón.
Tiene sed.
Tengo ocho años.
Q5.
Order the words to say: 'I need my bottle. I am thirsty.'
1 - necesito
2 - mi
3 - botella
4 - tengo
5 - sed
Q6.
Write in Spanish: 'I am eight years old and she is correct'.
Correct Answer: Tengo ocho años y tiene razón.

Additional material

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