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il tenait

held, was holding

→ tenir
ten to hold + ait he/she/it imperfect
verb · third singular · imperfect indicative Uncommon #12,261
held, was holding Imperfect tense of « tenir » (often used for an ongoing past action).
FR: Il tenait la porte ouverte pour moi.
EN: He was holding the door open for me.
Conjugation of tenir
Indicative imperfect
SingularPlural
First tenais —
Second tenais —
Third tenait tenaient

Il tenait vraiment à devenir professeur d'espagnol.

He really wanted to become a Spanish teacher.

Il montait sur les tables et tenait des discours enragés.

He would climb onto the tables and deliver furious speeches.

— Le Conformiste (1971)

Je l'ai jeté par terre, parce que je savais qu'elle y tenait.

I threw it on the floor because I knew she cared about it.

— Reconnu coupable (2026)

Le cahier qu'il tenait.

The notebook he was holding.

— Tout sur ma mère (1999)

La femme qu'il tenait pour sa tante, était une étrangère.

The woman he had taken to be his aunt was a stranger.

Il tenait les victimes dans ses bras.

He held the victims in his arms.

Ma boisson ne tenait pas dans le porte-gobelet.

My drink didn’t fit in the cup holder.

Elle tenait un journal personnel, mais elle ne le fait plus.

She used to keep a personal journal, but she doesn’t anymore.

On le tenait.

We had him.

Raspoutine tenait toute la cour de Russie sous son charme.

Rasputin held the entire Russian court under his spell.

C'était mon frère Dominic qui le tenait.

It was my brother Dominic who held it.

Il tenait toujours ses promesses.

He always kept his promises.

Il ne tenait jamais à sa parole.

He never kept his word.

Elle tenait à peine debout après sa nuit blanche.

She could barely stand after her sleepless night.

Tom prit les mains de Marie et les tenait fermement.

Tom took Marie’s hands and held them firmly.

La femme tenait un bébé dans les bras.

The woman was holding a baby in her arms.

Tom tenait la clé de sa voiture dans sa main gauche.

Tom held his car key in his left hand.

Cette soirée me tenait à cœur.

This evening was very important to me.

— Rushmore (1998)

Non, ça la tenait là.

No, that kept her there.

— Vacances à Venise (1955)

Elle le tenait brillamment.

She handled it brilliantly.

— Rebecca (1940)

Tout le monde tenait à lui payer la tournée.

Everyone was eager to buy him a round of drinks.

— Moscou ne croit pas aux larmes (1980)

Il s'en tenait à sa propre théorie.

He stuck to his own theory.

Mon père y tenait.

My father insisted on it.

— Interstellar (2014)

Il tenait un stylo dans la main.

He was holding a pen in his hand.

Il me tenait de force.

He was holding me down by force.

— Les Affranchis (1990)

Elle tenait à peine sur ses jambes !

She could barely stand on her legs!

— La La Land (2016)

Il tenait la lame.

He was holding the blade.

— Troupe d'Élite (2007)

Je savais qu'elle y tenait.

I knew it mattered to her.

— La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2 (2013)

Elle avait une main dans sa poche, l'autre tenait une cigarette.

She had one hand in her pocket, while the other held a cigarette.

— Rebecca (1940)

Elle tenait la tête basse, en signe de honte.

She held her head low in shame.

Elle le tenait responsable de tous ses problèmes.

She blamed him for all her problems.

Elle était intelligente, jolie, et elle tenait à moi.

She was smart, pretty, and she cared about me.

J'ignore pourquoi Nina tenait à l'avoir ici.

I don't know why Nina insisted on having him here.

— La Femme de ménage (2025)