"I am holding the child."
Translation:Je tiens l'enfant.
17 Comments
Hey sitesurf, can you explain to me when to use porter and when to use tenir? Because my first inclination was to use porter here but it wasn't a multiple choice. Would porte be acceptable?
"Porter" is to carry : "je porte l'enfant" means that his/her feet are no more on the ground ("dans mes bras", "sur mon dos", "sur mes épaules")
"Tenir" is to hold: "je tiens l'enfant" means that his/her feet are still on the ground ("par la main", "par le bras", "par l'épaule")
709
Oh. Oh! Oh? As in, to hold back, hold in place, hold on to... but not hold up? Hmmm. HMMM!
- 191
In which case they should say "to hold onto" as to hold a child means to carry them in English.
Many verbs end in "s" or "x" for "je":
- je suis (être)
- je vais (aller)
- je sais (savoir)
- je peux (pouvoir)
- je veux (vouloir)
etc.
1st group verbs (all "-er" verbs) don't, e.g. "manger" - "je mange", except for "aller" - "je vais", which is irregular (3rd group).
2nd group verbs (regular "-ir" verbs) do.
3rd group verbs are irregular ("-ir", all "-re" verbs and "aller"), so some do and some don't.
"Le tien" means "yours" and it is a possessive pronoun.
"Tiens" is the verb "tenir" in present when the subject is "je" or "tu": je/tu tiens, il/elle/on tient, nous tenons, vous tenez, ils/elles tiennent.
You don't translate "am" when it's "am ...ing". "I am holding the child" = "I hold the child" = « Je tiens l'enfant ».
- 254
The word "tiens" can function both in the English present continuous tense "am holding" and in the English present tense "hold".
"le" is "the" before a masculine word (noun or adjective) starting with a consonant
"la" is "the" before a feminine word (noun or adjective) starting with a consonant
"l'" is "the" before a masculine or feminine word (noun or adjective) starting with a vowel or a mute H
- le chien
- la femme
- l'homme
- l'enfant
- l'eau (feminine)
