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Italian vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "to hold" in Italian?
tenere
In Italian, "to hold" is tenere.
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
Pronounced teh-NEH-reh. The stress is on the second syllable.
Grammar notes
Tenere is irregular. Present tense: tengo, tieni, tiene, teniamo, tenete, tengono. Past participle is tenuto.
Example sentence
Io tengo il libro.
I hold the book.
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How to remember tenere
Tenere is an irregular verb. Think of holding something 'ten-er' and closer.
Related words
- ask chiedere
- blossom sbocciare
- find trovare
- line up mettersi in fila
- meet incontrare
- say dire
- see vedere
- show mostrare
- wake up svegliarsi
Browse all Italian words in the glossary.
Questions about tenere
How do you say "to hold" in Italian?
In Italian, "to hold" is tenere. It is a noun.
How is tenere written in Italian?
tenere is written using the standard Italian script.
How is tenere used in a sentence?
Use tenere as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: Io tengo il libro. (I hold the book.).
Where can I practice Italian words for free?
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"To hold" in other languages
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