how to pronounce tenir

/tə.niʁ/

audio example by a male speaker

audio example by a female speaker

the above transcription of tenir is a detailed (narrow) transcription according to the rules of the International Phonetic Association; you can find a description of each symbol by clicking the phoneme buttons in the secction below.

tenir is pronounced in two syllables

press buttons with phonetic symbols to learn how to precisely pronounce each sound of tenir

1.

2. example pitch curve for pronunciation of tenir

test your pronunciation of tenir

press the "test" button to check how closely you can replicate the pitch of a native speaker in your pronunciation of tenir

video examples of tenir pronunciation

An example use of tenir in a speech by a native speaker of standard french:

“… mais il faut se tenir prêt il faut se …”

meanings of tenir

verb:

To stay; to hold.
To maintain, remain in a certain position or disposition.
To hold on.
To keep.
To hang out.
To take (e.g., take into account, take into consideration); to consider; to account for; to reflect.
To have; to hold.
To hold oneself, to be standing.
To behave.
To be attached to something, to be fond of something, to hold something dear; to wish to.

tenir frequency in french - A2 level of CEFR

the word tenir occurs in french on average 89.5 times per one million words; this frequency warrants it to be in the study list for A2 level of language mastery according to CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference.