Conjugation of tenir in French
tenirto hold; to keepirregular
Présentpresent
Actions happening now or habitually.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| je | tiens | |
| tu | tiens | |
| il/elle/on | tient | |
| nous | tenons | |
| vous | tenez | |
| ils/elles | tiennent |
Common mistakes in the Présent
- je
tientiensThe 1st person singular is 'tiens', not 'tien'. - ils/elles
tienttiennentThe plural form is 'tiennent'; 'tient' is singular.
Passé composépresent perfect
Past actions with a bearing on the present.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| je | ai tenu | |
| tu | as tenu | |
| il/elle/on | a tenu | |
| nous | avons tenu | |
| vous | avez tenu | |
| ils/elles | ont tenu |
Imparfaitimperfect
Ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| je | tenais | |
| tu | tenais | |
| il/elle/on | tenait | |
| nous | tenions | |
| vous | teniez | |
| ils/elles | tenaient |
Futur simplefuture
Actions that will happen.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| je | tiendrai | |
| tu | tiendras | |
| il/elle/on | tiendra | |
| nous | tiendrons | |
| vous | tiendrez | |
| ils/elles | tiendront |
Common mistakes in the Futur simple
- je
teniraitiendraiUse the future stem 'tiendr-' for 'tenir': 'je tiendrai'.
Conditionnel présentconditional
Actions that would happen under some condition.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| je | tiendrais | |
| tu | tiendrais | |
| il/elle/on | tiendrait | |
| nous | tiendrions | |
| vous | tiendriez | |
| ils/elles | tiendraient |
Subjonctif présentpresent subjunctive
Wishes, doubts and possibilities in the present.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| je | tienne | |
| tu | tiennes | |
| il/elle/on | tienne | |
| nous | tenions | |
| vous | teniez | |
| ils/elles | tiennent |
Common mistakes in the Subjonctif présent
- nous
tenonstenionsIn the subjunctive, the stem is 'ten-' here: 'nous tenions'.
Impératifimperative
Commands and requests.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| tu | tiens | |
| nous | tenons | |
| vous | tenez |
Common mistakes in the Impératif
- tu
tientiensThe imperative singular is 'tiens', with -s.
Participe passépast participle
The form used in compound tenses and the passive.
| Person | Conjugation | |
|---|---|---|
| je | tenu | |
| tu | tenu | |
| il/elle/on | tenu | |
| nous | tenus | |
| vous | tenus | |
| ils/elles | tenus |
tenir — frequently asked questions
Is tenir a regular verb?
No — tenir is an irregular French verb, so some of its forms do not follow the standard endings.
What does tenir mean?
tenir is a French verb meaning "to hold; to keep".