tenere

Tenere is an Italian verb meaning to hold, to keep, to retain, or to bear. It covers both concrete actions, such as tenere un oggetto in mano, and abstract senses, such as tenere una promessa or tenere una posizione. The verb is highly productive in Italian, appearing in many idioms and phrasal expressions.

Etymology and cognates: Tenere derives from Latin tenere, from the Proto-Italic root *tenēre. It is closely related to Spanish tener and French tenir, and its Latin lineage also gives English terms such as tenet and tenure. The connection with these Romance languages reflects a long history of shared Latin roots.

Conjugation and forms: Tenere is an irregular -ere verb with a distinctive stem change in several tenses. In the present indicative, the forms are: io tengo, tu tieni, lui/lei tiene, noi teniamo, voi tenete, loro tengono. The past participle is tenuto, used with avere to form compound tenses (ho tenuto, hai tenuto, ecc.). The imperfect is tenevo, tenevi, teneva, tenevamo, tenevate, tenevano; the future is terrò, terrai, terrà, terremo, terrete, terranno. The present subjunctive is tenga, tenga, tenga, teniamo, teniate, tengano, and the conditional present is terrei, terresti, terrebbe, terremmo, terreste, terrebbero. The gerund is tenendo. The imperative forms are: tu tieni, Lei tenga, noi teniamo, voi tenete, Loro tengano.

Usage notes: Tenere governs both literal and figurative holding. Common constructions include tenere una promessa (to keep a promise), tenere presente (to keep in mind), tenere conto (to take into account), and tenere duro (to hold on or endure). It is also used with physical objects, as in tenere un libro in mano or tenere qualcosa stretto. The verb is one of the most frequent irregulars in Italian and is essential for fluent speech.

Examples: Io tengo una penna in mano. Dobbiamo tenere conto dei costi. Voglio tenere presente questa informazione. Tenete duro finché arriva l’aiuto.