Teneō means “hold,” “keep,” “possess,” “occupy,” “restrain,” or “maintain.” Its principal parts are teneō, tenēre, tenuī, tentum. The present is second conjugation; perfect tenu- and supine tent- must be learned separately.
This three-stem contrast belongs to the wider system of present, perfect, and supine stems.
The direct object may be a physical object, person, place, route, memory, or abstract position. Context supplies the best English verb.
Active Paradigms
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | teneō | tenēs | tenet | tenēmus | tenētis | tenent |
| Imperfect | tenēbam | tenēbās | tenēbat | tenēbāmus | tenēbātis | tenēbant |
| Future | tenēbō | tenēbis | tenēbit | tenēbimus | tenēbitis | tenēbunt |
| Perfect | tenuī | tenuistī | tenuit | tenuimus | tenuistis | tenuērunt / tenuēre |
| Pluperfect | tenueram | tenuerās | tenuerat | tenuerāmus | tenuerātis | tenuerant |
| Future perfect | tenuerō | tenueris | tenuerit | tenuerimus | tenueritis | tenuerint |
| Subjunctive | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | teneam | teneās | teneat | teneāmus | teneātis | teneant |
| Imperfect | tenērem | tenērēs | tenēret | tenērēmus | tenērētis | tenērent |
| Perfect | tenuerim | tenuerīs | tenuerit | tenuerīmus | tenuerītis | tenuerint |
| Pluperfect | tenuissem | tenuissēs | tenuisset | tenuissēmus | tenuissētis | tenuissent |
Puer fūnem tenet.
The boy is holding the rope.
Mīlitēs pontem tenēbant.
The soldiers were holding the bridge.
Hanc viam tenēbimus.
We shall keep to this road.
Dux locum per tōtam noctem tenuit.
The commander held the position throughout the night.
Passive Voice
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | teneor | tenēris / tenēre | tenētur | tenēmur | tenēminī | tenentur |
| Imperfect | tenēbar | tenēbāris / tenēbāre | tenēbātur | tenēbāmur | tenēbāminī | tenēbantur |
| Future | tenēbor | tenēberis / tenēbere | tenēbitur | tenēbimur | tenēbiminī | tenēbuntur |
| Present subjunctive | tenear | teneāris / teneāre | teneātur | teneāmur | teneāminī | teneantur |
| Imperfect subjunctive | tenērer | tenērēris / tenērēre | tenērētur | tenērēmur | tenērēminī | tenērentur |
The shorter second-person singular forms in -re are genuine passive alternatives, not active infinitives: context distinguishes tenēre “you are held” from infinitive or passive imperative tenēre.
The completed passive tenses use tentus, -a, -um with forms of sum. The table displays masculine forms; the participle changes for the subject’s gender and number.
| Tense | 1st sg. | 2nd sg. | 3rd sg. | 1st pl. | 2nd pl. | 3rd pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect indicative | tentus sum | tentus es | tentus est | tentī sumus | tentī estis | tentī sunt |
| Pluperfect indicative | tentus eram | tentus erās | tentus erat | tentī erāmus | tentī erātis | tentī erant |
| Future perfect indicative | tentus erō | tentus eris | tentus erit | tentī erimus | tentī eritis | tentī erunt |
| Perfect subjunctive | tentus sim | tentus sīs | tentus sit | tentī sīmus | tentī sītis | tentī sint |
| Pluperfect subjunctive | tentus essem | tentus essēs | tentus esset | tentī essēmus | tentī essētis | tentī essent |
Forms built with fuī, fueram, or fuerō also occur as alternatives to the default completed-passive paradigm.
Pōns ā nostrīs tenētur.
The bridge is held by our men.
Captīvus multōs diēs tentus est.
The prisoner was detained for many days.
Do not confuse tentus with temptātus “tested/attempted”; context and lemma distinguish them.
Imperatives and Non-Finite Forms
Present commands are tenē, tenēte; passive tenēre, tenēminī. The future imperative, especially at home in statutes, maxims, and instructions with future reference, has active tenētō (second or third singular), tenētōte (second plural), and tenentō (third plural); passive tenētor (second or third singular) and tenentor (third plural). Latin has no ordinary second-plural future passive imperative.
Tenē fūnem neque dīmitte.
Hold the rope and do not let go.
| Category | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present infinitive | tenēre | tenērī |
| Perfect infinitive | tenuisse | tentum esse |
| Future infinitive | tentūrum esse | tentum īrī |
| Participles | tenēns; tentūrus | tentus; tenendus |
| Gerund | tenendī, tenendō, tenendum, tenendō | — |
| Supines | tentum, tentū | — |
Dīxit sē pontem diū tenuisse.
He said that he had held the bridge for a long time.
Haec arx omnibus modīs tenenda est.
This citadel must be held by every means.
In the perfect passive and future active infinitives, the participle agrees with the accusative subject of indirect statement: dīxit eam tentam esse “he said that she had been detained,” but dīxit eam tentūram esse “he said that she would hold.” The supine in future passive tentum īrī is invariable.
Holding, Keeping, and Occupying
The accusative object can be concrete: librum tenēre hold a book, captīvum tenēre detain a prisoner, arcem tenēre occupy a citadel. The same core idea of maintaining control extends across English translations.
Custōs iānuam apertam tenet.
The guard keeps the door open.
Here apertam is a predicate adjective agreeing with iānuam: the guard maintains the door in an open state.
Routes, Positions, and Restraint
Viam/iter tenēre means keep to or pursue a route; locum tenēre hold a position; sē tenēre restrain oneself or stay. English prepositions need not appear in Latin because the relation is lexicalized.
Nāvis cursum ad īnsulam tenuit.
The ship maintained its course toward the island.
Vix mē tenēre potuī quīn rīdērem.
I could scarcely keep myself from laughing.
The quīn clause follows the negative/limiting expression vix mē tenēre potuī and names the nearly unavoidable action.
Memory and Understanding
Memoriā tenēre or simply tenēre can mean keep in mind, remember, grasp. This is possession maintained mentally.
Omnia verba magistrī memoriā teneō.
I keep all the teacher’s words in memory.
Compare intellegō “understand/realize”: teneō emphasizes retained command or memory, not the moment of comprehension.
Compounds
Compounds are extremely common and usually preserve the broad -tineō/-tinuī/-tentum pattern with vowel changes: contineō “contain, restrain,” retineō “hold back, retain,” sustineō “sustain, withstand,” obtineō “hold, obtain,” and dētineō “detain.” Principal parts and meanings must still be learned individually. Intransitive pertineō, pertinēre, pertinuī “extend, pertain” normally has no supine or personal passive system, so do not manufacture pertentum.
Mīlitēs impetum hostium sustinuērunt.
The soldiers withstood the enemy’s attack.
Haec rēs ad tē pertinet.
This matter concerns you.
Notice pertineō ad plus accusative. A compound can change government as well as meaning.
Aspect and Result
Imperfect tenēbat portrays continuing control; perfect tenuit views the holding as a bounded achievement or completed period. Perfect does not necessarily mean the object was then released: later context supplies that result.
Arcem trēs diēs tenuērunt, deinde discessērunt.
They held the citadel for three days, then departed.
Possession, Control, and Resulting State
Teneō is more dynamic than simple habeō when it emphasizes grip, control, occupation, or continued maintenance. Librum habeō may mean “I have a book”; librum manū teneō means “I hold the book in my hand.” With territory, office, or a prisoner, teneō highlights control.
Librum habeō, sed nunc eum frāter manū tenet.
I own a book, but now my brother is holding it in his hand.
Hostēs portum tenent, nōs autem collem obtinēmus.
The enemy hold the harbor, while we hold the hill.
An object plus predicate adjective expresses a maintained result: iānuam clausam tenēre “keep the door closed,” exercitum parātum tenēre “keep the army ready.” The adjective agrees with the object, and teneō says that the subject preserves that condition.
Dux exercitum ad proelium parātum tenēbat.
The commander kept the army ready for battle.
Duration and Release
A duration accusative can state how long control lasts: multōs diēs tenēre. The verb itself does not say how holding ends. Latin adds dīmittere, relinquere, or āmittere for release, abandonment, or loss.
Captīvum trēs diēs tenuērunt, deinde eum dīmīsērunt.
They detained the prisoner for three days, then released him.
Parsing Diagnostic
Identify tenē-, tenu-, or tent-. Determine voice and find the controlled object. Test literal holding, maintained state, occupation, route, memory, or restraint before selecting an English gloss. With compounds, identify the prefix and check whether it introduces new government such as pertineō ad.
Common Mistakes
Inventing a regular perfect
❌ Pontem tenēvī.
Incorrect — the perfect is tenuī.
✅ Pontem tenuī.
I held the bridge.
Inventing the supine stem
❌ Captīvus tenitus est.
Incorrect — the perfect passive uses tentus.
✅ Captīvus tentus est.
The prisoner was detained.
Failing to agree a maintained state
❌ Iānuam apertum tenet.
Incorrect — apertam agrees with feminine iānuam.
✅ Iānuam apertam tenet.
He keeps the door open.
Treating every compound like simple teneō
❌ Haec rēs tē pertinet.
Incorrect — pertineō uses ad plus accusative.
✅ Haec rēs ad tē pertinet.
This matter concerns you.
Key Takeaways
- Memorize teneō, tenēre, tenuī, tentum and all three stems.
- The verb extends from physical holding to occupation, restraint, route, and retained memory.
- Passive forms use tent-; gerundive tenendus expresses necessity.
- Compounds are frequent, semantically specialized, and may change government.
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