Different Uses Of The Verb “Tenir” In French

If you study French, you probably know the verb tenir. It means “to hold” in the very concrete sense of grasping something.

From this basic meaning, many interesting uses can be derived. You will undoubtedly hear them in everyday speech as they are very common. Expanding on the various usages of one word is a quick way to improve your vocabulary.

1. Tenir à (emotional bond)

Tenir à means “to love,” or “to be fond of.” It conveys the idea of an emotional bond with subtle nuances. Tenir à can express the idea that one would suffer if one was to be separated from a loved person or thing.

A girl might have to break up with her boyfriend but would suffer from the parting. She would say:

It applies to things, as well.

The bond may be one of genuine concern. The closest translation would then be “to matter to.” Beware the word order: Je tiens à toi becomes “You matter to me.”

The girl insists that her boyfriend quits drugs. They argue:

Combined with events or ideas, tenir à implies a strong motivation.

In these instances, tenir extends its primary meaning of “to hold.” The girl's feelings tie her to her boyfriend. Sophie is likewise linked to the watch that embodies her relationship to her grandfather. The student of the last example cannot just renounce his goal; he is tied to his desire for success.

2. Tenir à (causal relationship)

In some settings, tenir à points to a causal relationship. “To be due to” or “to result from” both adequately render this meaning.

3. Tenir de (inheritance)

Tenir de indicates inheritance, in a concrete or abstract way.

This is a very common phrase, sometimes used partly as a joke. If somebody points out your child's stubbornness, you may reply that he or she got that from your spouse (implying that your spouse is stubborn as well).

In the previous dialogue, the child's traits are seen as inherited from one parent. The mother's passion for mechanics reached the son through education and example.

4. Tenir de (source)

Tenir de also links a piece of information to its source. You could then render je le tiens de by “I was told by.”

5. Tenir en

If you know tenir (to hold), you probably have met contenir (to contain). Contenir literally means “to hold with(in).” We won't focus on contenir today, but it helps to remember that some usages of tenir arise from the semantic field of contenir.

Tenir en translates as “to consist of.” You use it to wrap something up.

6. Tenir sur

Tenir sur means “to fit on.” It's a close parent of tenir en, but the spatial relationship between container and contained is slightly different.

Do you see the connection to contenir? A single page could contain (hold) the laws of the universe. In the penultimate example, one sentence encapsulated the book's conclusion. This sentence contained, summarized, the book's message.

7. Tenir debout

You probably know tenir debout. It means “to stand.” In a figurative way, it applies to a reasoning. Enjoy the metaphor: a reasoning that doesn't stand collapses. You'll often hear it in a negative way: cela ne tient pas debout means “it doesn't make sense.”

8. Se tenir

Se tenir is a variation on tenir debout. It bears the same concrete meaning.

In an abstract way, it yields the same figurative content as tenir debout does. When you say cela se tient, you acknowledge you've been presented with a valid reasoning.

You sometimes will hear cela tient la route, which has the same meaning.

9. Tenir bon

Tenir bon refers to one's capacity to resist obstacles over time. It goes along with endurance. It's a common way to encourage somebody.

10. Tenir le coup

Tenir le coup is pretty close to tenir bon. In both cases, it is about a burden or a task that requires endurance. The correct translation depends on the context.

11. Être tenu

Être tenu means “to have to.” When a contract binds you, you are “held” by your responsibility. In English, the phrase “to be held accountable” stems from a similar metaphor.

12. Tiens as an exclamation

In a casual conversation, you may hear a native starting a sentence with tiens (possibly repeated). It expresses a slight surprise or curiosity. As an interjection, it never varies: you don't conjugate it.

The last example is a rhetorical question. As the translation suggests, it is not a real question. The speaker knows who is there, but expresses a slight surprise or curiosity at this encounter.

You won't miss anything if you don't respond to this exclamation, but your French will sound more natural if you do. Besides, it buys some time to think of your next sentence.

13. Tenir en place

Tenir en place means “to keep quiet” — which you obviously wouldn't if you were anticipating some great news or big event, or maybe if you were a little child.

14. Tenir l’alcool

Tenir l’alcool could translate as “to have the capacity to drink alcohol without losing one's temper or cognitive abilities” — a useful quality indeed if you go out with French friends on New Year's Eve.

Conclusion

If you didn't work out the tenses and structures of all the above examples, don't worry. For now, just savour the wide applications in everyday life of the verb tenir. This jewel of a word started from a concrete meaning, manifesting actual gestures—to grasp something in one's hands. You hold a cup, a weapon, or a tool.

The language has retained the blueprint of an asymmetrical relationship. Tenir links a source to a receiver, a container to a contained, a lover to the object of love, or a person to their responsibility. The Western view of agency shines through this word.

Hero image by Nagendra Rai (Indian Institute of Toxicology Research), via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-4.0)