Romanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From the original form ținea (a second-conjugation verb), from Latin tenēre, present active infinitive of teneō, from Proto-Italic *tenēō, stative from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (to stretch, draw).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈt͡si.ne/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ine
  • Hyphenation: ți‧ne

Verb

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a ține (third-person singular present ține, past participle ținut) 3rd conj.

  1. (transitive) to hold
  2. (reflexive) to hold on [with de]
    Pasagerii care stau în picioare în tramvai pot să se țină de bară.
    The passengers standing up in the tram may hold on to the pole.
  3. (intransitive) to be a part of a whole, to be subordinate in a system, to belong [with de]
    Synonym: depinde
    Alaska ține de Statele Unite.
    Alaska is part of the United States.
  4. (transitive, of a mental state, the pursuit of an activity or a depletable resource) to last for someone
    Te mai ține mult supărarea?
    Will you be angry for much longer?
    (literally, “Does your anger last a lot any longer?”)
    Actoria l-a ținut trei ani.
    He lasted three years in acting [before giving up].
    Îmi place mult mai mult telefonul acesta fiindcă mă ține mult bateria.
    I like this phone much more because the battery lasts a long time.
  5. (intransitive) to treasure, to hold dear [with la]
  6. (catenative) to insist or find it important to do something
  7. (intransitive) to be up to someone (able to be influenced) [with de]
    Synonym: depinde
    Te pot ajuta cu depunerea dosarului, dar dacă va fi acceptat nu ține de mine.
    I can help you with submitting your application, but whether it will be accepted is not up to me.
  8. (transitive) to hold (organise or have take place)
    a ține un discursto hold a speech
  9. (impersonal, catenative, informal) to have the guts
    Nu te ține să sari?
    You don’t have the guts to jump?
  10. (intransitive, informal) to root for a side in a competition or conflict [with cu]
  11. (reflexive, informal) to follow someone, mostly in a negative sense [with de or după]
    Synonym: se lua
  12. (intransitive, of deceit, informal, chiefly in the negative) to be believed
  13. to follow a direction
    Ține-o tot înainte și apoi la dreapta.
    Go straight ahead and then go to the right.

Conjugation

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Derived terms

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Further reading

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