tenir
to holdIrregularਇਹ ਕਿਰਿਆ ਨਿਯਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਮੰਨਦੀ — ਹਰ ਰੂਪ ਵੱਖਰਾ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਨਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
| Person | Presentnow, habits | Passé composécompleted past | Imparfaitongoing past | Futur procheabout to | Futur simplewill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | tienssounds the same as another form in this tense | ai tenu | tenaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vais tenir | tiendraisounds the same as another form in this tense |
| tu | tienssounds the same as another form in this tense | as tenusounds the same as another form in this tense | tenaissounds the same as another form in this tense | vas tenirsounds the same as another form in this tense | tiendrassounds the same as another form in this tense |
| il/elle | tientsounds the same as another form in this tense | a tenusounds the same as another form in this tense | tenaitsounds the same as another form in this tense | va tenirsounds the same as another form in this tense | tiendrasounds the same as another form in this tense |
| nous | tenons | avons tenu | tenions | allons tenir | tiendronssounds the same as another form in this tense |
| vous | tenez | avez tenu | teniez | allez tenir | tiendrezsounds the same as another form in this tense |
| ils/elles | tiennent | ont tenu | tenaientsounds the same as another form in this tense | vont tenir | tiendrontsounds the same as another form in this tense |
Now, and habits. tiens covers both "I hold" and "I am holding" — French has no separate continuous form.
A completed past action. avoir conjugates and tenu does not — ai tenu.
An ongoing or habitual past. Built on the nous-present stem, so tenons gives you tenais.
About to happen. aller conjugates; tenir never moves — the easier future to produce under pressure.
Will happen. Built on tiendr- — not the infinitive tenir. The conditional reuses this stem.
What this table tells you about tenir
The past participle is tenu, and it takes avoir in the passé composé — so it never changes shape, whoever the subject is. No agreement to remember here.
The futur simple is built on tiendr-, which is not the infinitive tenir. This stem has to be learned, and it is the same one the conditional uses later.
In the present, je, tu and il/elle are one sound: tiens, tient — indistinguishable spoken. Only nous, vous and ils/elles carry an audible ending.
The imparfait is built on the nous-present stem, so once you know tenons you already know tenais, tenait and tenaient. Futur proche keeps tenir untouched.