The French verb tenir means "to hold" and is used in many idiomatic expressions. It follows the pattern of the third group verbs and is irregular in several tenses.

Base meaning: to hold, to keep, to maintain
Auxiliary verb: avoir
Past participle: tenu

Conjugations

Below are the main conjugations of tenir in several common tenses, along with example sentences in French and English.

Présent (Present)

French Pronoun	French Form	French Example	English Example
je	tiens	Je tiens le livre.	I hold the book.
tu	tiens	Tu tiens mon stylo ?	Are you holding my pen?
il/elle/on	tient	Elle tient la porte.	She is holding the door.
nous	tenons	Nous tenons la main.	We hold hands.
vous	tenez	Vous tenez la clef.	You have the key.
ils/elles	tiennent	Ils tiennent leurs promesses.	They keep their promises.

We hold hands.

Nous tenions la main.

Nous tenons la main.

Nous tenons de main.

Nous tiennent la main.

Nous tenons la main.

'Nous tenons la main.' uses the present tense form 'tenons' for 'nous' and means 'We hold hands.'

Passé composé (Compound Past)

French Pronoun	French Form	French Example	English Example
j’	ai tenu	J’ai tenu le secret.	I kept the secret.
tu	as tenu	Tu as tenu ta parole.	You kept your word.
il/elle/on	a tenu	Il a tenu le rôle principal.	He played the lead role.
nous	avons tenu	Nous avons tenu le record.	We held the record.
vous	avez tenu	Vous avez tenu le coup.	You held on.
ils/elles	ont tenu	Elles ont tenu jusqu’au bout.	They held on until the end.

Imparfait (Imperfect)

French Pronoun	French Form	French Example	English Example
je	tenais	Je tenais toujours la porte.	I was always holding the door.
tu	tenais	Tu tenais mon sac ?	Were you carrying my bag?
il/elle/on	tenait	Elle tenait un discours.	She was giving a speech.
nous	tenions	Nous tenions une réunion.	We were holding a meeting.
vous	teniez	Vous teniez le premier rôle.	You were playing the lead role.
ils/elles	tenaient	Ils tenaient la tête.	They were in the lead.

I was always holding the door.

Je tiens toujours la porte.

Je tenais toujours la porte.

J’ai tenu toujours la porte.

Je tenait toujours la porte.

Je tenais toujours la porte.

'Je tenais toujours la porte.' uses the imperfect form 'tenais' to express an ongoing past action.

Futur simple (Simple Future)

French Pronoun	French Form	French Example	English Example
je	tiendrai	Je tiendrai ma promesse.	I will keep my promise.
tu	tiendras	Tu tiendras bon !	You will hold strong!
il/elle/on	tiendra	Elle tiendra le coup.	She will hang in there.
nous	tiendrons	Nous tiendrons la réunion.	We will hold the meeting.
vous	tiendrez	Vous tiendrez la clé.	You will have the key.
ils/elles	tiendront	Ils tiendront leurs engagements.	They will fulfill their commitments.

Conditionnel présent (Present Conditional)

French Pronoun	French Form	French Example	English Example
je	tiendrais	Je tiendrais ta main.	I would hold your hand.
tu	tiendrais	Tu tiendrais le rôle ?	Would you take the role?
il/elle/on	tiendrait	Elle tiendrait parole.	She would keep her word.
nous	tiendrions	Nous tiendrions la réunion.	We would hold the meeting.
vous	tiendriez	Vous tiendriez le coup.	You would hold on.
ils/elles	tiendraient	Ils tiendraient leurs promesses.	They would keep their promises.

Subjonctif présent (Present Subjunctive)

Used to express doubt, necessity, emotion, or possibility, especially after que.

French Pronoun	French Form	French Example	English Example
que je	tienne	Il faut que je tienne bon.	It’s necessary that I hold on.
que tu	tiennes	Que tu tiennes parole !	May you keep your word!
qu’il/elle/on	tienne	Qu’elle tienne la position.	Let her hold the position.
que nous	tenions	Que nous tenions la réunion.	That we hold the meeting.
que vous	teniez	Que vous teniez la porte.	That you hold the door.
qu’ils/elles	tiennent	Qu’ils tiennent leurs engagements.	That they fulfill their commitments.

It’s necessary that I hold on.

Il faut que je tiens bon.

Il faut que je tienne bon.

Il faut que je tiendrai bon.

Il faut que je tenais bon.

Il faut que je tienne bon.

'que je tienne' is the correct subjunctive form after 'Il faut que,' expressing necessity.

Participe passé (Past Participle)

The unique past participle form is:

tenu

Used with avoir for compound tenses:

J’ai tenu (I held)
Elle a tenu (She held)

Usage Tips and Examples

tenir à + noun: to be attached to (someone/something)

Je tiens à mon grand-père.*

I’m close to my grandfather.

tenir à + infinitive: to insist on

Je tiens à vous aider.*

I insist on helping you.

se tenir: to stand, to behave

Tiens-toi droit !*

Stand up straight!

tenir le coup: to hold up, to endure

Il tient le coup malgré la fatigue.*

He’s holding up despite being tired.

tenir compte de: to take into account

Il faut tenir compte de la météo.*

We must take the weather into account.

Summary

Base verb: tenir
Meaning: to hold, to keep, to maintain
Auxiliary: avoir
Past participle: tenu
Key patterns:

Present stem: tien- (je tiens)
Future/conditional stem: tiendr- (je tiendrai, je tiendrais)
Subjunctive stem: tienn- (que je tienne)

Idiomatic uses: tenir à, se tenir, tenir le coup

You can confidently use tenir in various contexts, from holding objects to expressing emotional attachment or perseverance.

Flashcards (1 of 36)

English Example: I hold the book.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

French

Tenir: to hold