How do I know which to use our of tenir and garder in any particular context, please?
Tenir (to hold) is an irregular French verb.
Je tiens ma fille par la main.I'm holding my daughter's hand.
Ils tiennent toujours la porte aux autres.They always hold the door open for others.
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Lessons with more detail on Tenir (to hold)
- Conjugate venir/tenir and derivatives in the present tense in French (Le Présent)
- Conjugate venir/tenir and derivatives in the future tense in French (Le Futur Simple)
- Conjugate venir/tenir and derivatives in the subjunctive present in French (Le Subjonctif Présent)
- Recognising venir/tenir and derivatives in the historic past in French (Le Passé Simple)
- Conjugate venir/tenir and derivatives in the historic past in French (Le Passé Simple)
Q&A Forum 1 question, 2 answers
Bonjour Leigh,
To me, they are very distinct verbs -
garder = to keep ( in the sense of retaining, preserving, or watching over)
Je garde ce livre = I'm keeping this book (not giving it away)
garder un secret = to keep a secret (retain it, don't tell)
garder les enfants = to watch/babysit the children
garder son calme = to keep one's calm
tenir = to hold (physically grasping)
Je tiens ta main = I'm holding your hand
Tenir un livre à la main = to hold a book in your hand
Sometimes tenir is translated as 'to keep' in the sense of maintaining or upholding as in -
tenir une promesse = to keep a promise
tenir un secret = to keep a secret
tenir un journal = to keep a diary
Hope this helps!
Jim J.Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Leigh,
https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com/synonymes/tenir
Have a look at the link above -- garder appears in the list of synonyms of tenir and gives a hint of potential usage.
I hope you will find this helpful.
Bonne journée
Jim
Leigh F. asked:
Tenir vs garder
How do I know which to use our of tenir and garder in any particular context, please?
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