Hay or tiene?
Hay and tener are two verbs that have different meanings.
En el Hotel Borbollón hay muchos gatos.
There are lots of cats at the Hotel Borbollón.
Ana tiene dos gatos.
Ana has two cats.
Hay is the impersonal form of the verb haber in the present tense that means “there is” or “there are”.
- It states that something exists:
En Madrid hay varias estaciones de tren.
In Madrid, there are several train stations.
- It doesn't change to agree with gender or number:
En mi calle hay un bar.
There is a bar on my street.
En mi calle hay muchos bares.
There are several bars on my street.
Tiene is the verb tener (to have) conjugated in the present tense.
- It is used to express possession or describe the content of something specific:
Nacho tiene dos hermanos.
Nacho has two brothers.
Este libro tiene 500 páginas.
This book has 500 pages.
- It is used to indicate age:
Teo tiene 18 años.
Teo is 18 years old.
- It has to be conjugated to agree with the subject:
Nosotros tenemos una casa.
We have a house.
Ellas tienen 40 años.
They are 40 years old.
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