tiñen

Tiñen is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb teñir, meaning to dye or tint. It indicates that multiple subjects are coloring something in the present. The verb teñir is irregular in the present tense; common forms include tiño, tiñes, tiñe, tiñimos, tiñen, with the vosotros form often rendered as tiñís in standard Spanish. Tiñen is used when the subject is ellos, ellas, or ustedes.

Usage and examples: Tiñen is typically employed in contexts involving textiles, hair, leather, or other materials that can be colored. It can be transitive: Ellos tiñen la tela de azul. It can also be reflexive or semi-reflexive in personal care: Ellas se tiñen el cabello de negro. The construction often appears with direct objects and, in reflexive usage, with reflexive pronouns to indicate the dyeing affects the subject.

Etymology and cognates: Teñir comes from Latin tingere, meaning to dip or color. Related Spanish terms include tinta (dye or ink). Cognates appear in other Romance languages, such as Portuguese tingir and French teindre, reflecting a common Latin root.

See also: teñir, tintura, tinta, dyeing.