Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Introduction to the verb tenir
The English translation of the French verb tenir is “to hold” or “to keep.” It is pronounced “teh-neer.”
Tenir comes from the Latin word “tenere” meaning “to hold” and is derived from the Indo-European root *ten- meaning “to stretch.” In everyday French, tenir is most often used to describe physically holding onto something, but it can also be used in a variety of idiomatic expressions and figurative meanings.
- Je tiens le livre dans ma main. (I am holding the book in my hand.)
- Nous devons tenir notre promesse. (We must keep our promise.)
- Il tient beaucoup à cette tradition familiale. (He values this family tradition a lot.)
Tenir – About the French Present Tense
To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Common Everyday Usage Patterns For Le Present
Interactions with Other Tenses
Table of the Present Tense Conjugation of tenir
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Je | je tiens | Je tiens un livre. | I am holding a book. |
Tu | tu tiens | Tu tiens la main. | You are holding my hand. |
Il | il tient | Il tient sa promesse. | He is keeping his promise. |
Elle | elle tient | Elle tient son bébé. | She is holding her baby. |
On | on tient | On tient bon. | We are holding on. |
Nous | nous tenons | Nous tenons une réunion. | We are holding a meeting. |
Vous | vous tenez | Vous tenez le volant. | You are holding the steering wheel. |
Ils | ils tiennent | Ils tiennent leurs paroles. | They are keeping their words. |
Elles | elles tiennent | Elles tiennent leur position. | They are holding their position. |
Other Conjugations for Tenir.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb tenir (this article)
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb tenir
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