la tenia
tapeworm
Palabra que puede hablar de algo que una persona poseía en el pasado, o de un animal largo y blando que vive en el cuerpo.
Definition & meaning
can have two meanings depending on whether it carries an accent:
-
— tapeworm: a long, flat parasitic worm that lives in the intestines of humans or animals.
- Example: El perro tiene una tenia. — “The dog has a tapeworm.”
-
— had, used to have, or sometimes was having. It is the first- and third-person singular imperfect indicative form of , “to have.”
- Yo tenía tiempo. — “I had time.”
- Ella tenía miedo. — “She was afraid.”
- Cuando era niño, tenía un perro. — “When I was a child, I used to have a dog.”
The accent is important: is the verb form, while is the noun meaning “tapeworm.”
Grammar & word origin
As a noun, is feminine: . Its plural is .
As a verb, comes from and can refer to either or , , or :
- Yo tenía — “I had”
- Él/ella/usted tenía — “He/she/you had”
The noun comes from Latin taenia, meaning “ribbon” or “band,” referring to the worm’s long, flat shape.
Synonyms & antonyms
For the noun
A technical synonym is , meaning “cestode,” the biological class to which tapeworms belong. It is more scientific and general than .
Another related term is , “parasite,” but this is broader: not every parasite is a tapeworm.
There is no precise antonym for . In a medical context, , “parasite-free,” expresses the opposite condition.
For the verb
Depending on context, can be replaced by:
- — “possessed” or “owned”; more formal and usually referring to possessions.
- — “had” or “was equipped with”; emphasizes availability or resources.
- — “had available”; more formal.
Possible contextual opposites include:
- — “did not have”
- — “lacked”; more formal
- — “lost,” when referring to something that was previously possessed
Common phrases & collocations
Make “tenia” part of your vocabulary.
Build your Spanish vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.
Examples
¿Cómo entró la tenia en el cuerpo?noun
How did the tapeworm enter the body?
La tenia vive en el estómago.noun
The tapeworm lives in the stomach.
Keep exploring Spanish
Learn words from the content you love.
Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).
Scan for iPhone & iPad