Log inSign up

Il a tenu parole jusqu'à la fin.

Il a tenu parole jusqu'à la fin.
He kept his word until the end.
From Lesson 177:Reported statements (il dit que)·French

Breakdown of Il a tenu parole jusqu'à la fin.

il
he
tenir
to hold
la fin
the ending
la parole
the speech, the spoken word

Questions & Answers about Il a tenu parole jusqu'à la fin.

Why is there no "sa" (his) before "parole"?
In French, the expression for "to keep one's word" is the set phrase tenir parole. Unlike in English, where we use a possessive adjective ("he kept his word"), French drops the article or possessive entirely in this idiom.
Wait, doesn't "word" translate to "mot"? Why use "parole" here?
They both mean "word," but they are used differently. Un mot is a literal, individual word (like a word in a dictionary). Une parole refers more to spoken words, speech, or a promise. Since keeping your word is about keeping a promise, French uses parole.
Can I just say "jusque la fin" instead of "jusqu'à la fin"?
No, you need the à. The word jusque (until/up to) almost always pairs with a preposition when followed by a noun. For time or places, it pairs with à to form jusqu'à (until / as far as). Because it's followed by the noun phrase la fin, jusqu'à is required.
What verb does "tenu" come from?
Tenu is the irregular past participle of the verb tenir, which basically means "to hold" or "to keep." Here it is conjugated in the passé composé (il a tenu) to say "he kept."

Learn Il a tenu parole jusqu'à la fin and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →