tengáis

Tengáis is the second-person plural present subjunctive form of the verb tener in Spanish. It is used with the vosostros form, chiefly in Spain and other regions where the vosotros form is customary. In many Latin American varieties the corresponding subject pronoun is ustedes, and the present subjunctive form is tengan, not tengáis.

Formation and morphology: Tener is irregular in the present subjunctive, with the stem teng- instead of ten-. The endings follow the standard -er verb subjunctive pattern: yo tenga, tú tengas, él tenga, nosotros tengamos, vosotros tengáis, ellos tengan. The vosotros form tengáis carries the stress on the last syllable and includes an acute accent on the í (tengáis). It is also used in negative commands: no tengáis miedo.

Usage: Tengáis appears in subordinate clauses that require the subjunctive after expressions of desire, emotion, doubt, possibility, necessity, or after certain conjunctions. Examples include: Espero que tengáis tiempo; Es posible que tengáis un problema; Quiero que tengáis paciencia; Ojalá que tengáis suerte. It is not the form used with ustedes in Latin America, where tengáis would be replaced by tengan in equivalent contexts. In affirmative commands for vosotros the imperative is tened, while tengáis appears in negative commands (no tengáis) and in subordinate clauses.

Regional notes: The form tengáis reflects the retaining of vosotros conjugation in Peninsular Spanish. In dialects or communities that do not use vosotros, tengáis is much less common and likelihood of encountering it outside formal or historical texts decreases.