tengo= I have

Question

I am a beginer but could someone tell me why you would say, "yo tengo dos perro" "yo tengo el dinero" (It's from another site) when I thought that tengo meant "I have" so need for yo (I).

Answer 1

Tengo is the first person singular conjugation of the verb tener, to have. When you say tengo dos perros you are saying I have two dogs. The yo is unnecessary because it is implied in the verb. If you say

Yo tengo dos perros, it sounds like you are saying I, unlike others, have two dogs. You only need to use the yo if you are trying to differentiate yourself from others.

For example:

Ella tiene un gato, pero yo tengo dos gatos.
She has a cat, but I (unlike her) have two cats.

Answer 2

When teaching basic Spanish, the personal pronouns are used many times as you have just seen simply to help the student remember which conjugation of the verb goes with a certain pronoun. In the real world, however, the personal pronoun is not necessary and usually not used because each verb is conjugated for person. Personal pronouns are generally used to just emphasize the person.

ie: Tengo dos perros (Nobody else is involved).

Yo tengo dos perros (Someone else may have said they have a dog, so you say you have two dogs).

Answer 3

Tengo does indeed mean I have.

"Yo tengo dos perros" --- I have two dogs.

"Yo tengo el dinero" - I have the money.