teniez

Teniez is a French verb form derived from tenir. It is the spelling used for two distinct grammatical contexts: the second-person plural imperfect indicative of tenir (vous teniez) and the second-person plural present subjunctive form (que vous teniez). Because the two tenses share identical spelling, context is needed to determine the meaning. In ordinary French, teniez appears in literary or formal writing when the imperfect is used, and in subordinate clauses that require the present subjunctive, especially after expressions such as il faut que or il est important que.

Example sentences:

- Vous teniez le livre sur la table. (You were holding the book on the table.)

- Il faut que vous teniez compte de mes remarques. (You must take my remarks into account.)

- Je demande que vous teniez votre promesse. (I request that you keep your promise.)

Etymology and usage notes:

Teniez comes from tenir, a verb of irregular origin, belonging to the third group of French verbs. The verb’s forms descend from Latin tenere; the stem changes across tenses (ten-, tien-). Teniez thus appears as part of the standard conjugation of tenir in the imperfect and in the present subjunctive for the vous form.