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Il tient son sac.

Il tient son sac.
He is holding his bag.
From Lesson 35:The verb to come (venir)·French

Breakdown of Il tient son sac.

le sac
the bag
son
his/her/its
tenir
to hold

Questions & Answers about Il tient son sac.

I thought this lesson was about venir (to come). Why is tient used in this sentence?
Tient is a form of the verb tenir (to hold). It is included in this lesson because tenir follows the exact same irregular pattern as venir! Just as you say il vient for "he comes", you say il tient for "he holds".
The English translation says "is holding", but where is the French word for "is"?
French does not use a separate word for "is" when describing an action happening right now. The single present tense verb tient means both "holds" and "is holding".
Does son mean "his" because the subject is Il (he)?
Actually, son is used here because the word for bag (sac) is masculine. In French, possessive words match the gender of the object being owned, not the owner. If a woman were holding her bag, it would still be Elle tient son sac.
Do I pronounce the "t" at the end of tient?
No, the final "t" is silent. The word tient rhymes exactly with vient.

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