contenerse

Contenerse is a Spanish verb, reflexive in form, that means to restrain oneself or to hold back one’s emotions, impulses, or words. It is used to describe the act of preventing oneself from acting or speaking in a given situations, or from showing a strong feeling publicly. The verb can also indicate a physical restraint in contexts such as holding back anger, tears, or laughter.

Etymology and form: contenerse comes from the verb contener, with the reflexive pronoun -se. It shares its root with other forms related to keeping, holding, or containing. As a reflexive verb, it is conjugated regularly in many tenses, with the reflexive pronoun indicating that the action falls on the subject. For example, me contengo, te contenes, se contiene, and so on. In the preterite and imperfect, you find forms like me contuve, te contuviste, se contuvo, and me contenía, te contenías, se contenía.

Usage and constructions: contenerse is commonly used with de + infinitive to express refraining from a specific action, as in se contuvo de decir lo que pensaba (he restrained himself from saying what he thought) or no pude contenerme de reír (I couldn’t hold back from laughing). It is also used without de in contexts focusing on self-control, e.g., “Me contengo” (I restrain myself). Separate from this, contener can appear in non-reflexive forms to describe physical containment, such as contener la respiración (to hold one’s breath).

Nuances: the expression conveys voluntary self-restraint and is contrasted with stronger verbs like reprimir or domin ar, which may imply more forceful suppression. Contenerse is common across Spanish dialects, including Spain and Latin America.