nous nous étions retenus
Pluperfect nous conjugation of se retenir.
- Dictionary
se retenir
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun (e.g., se lever).
a. to hold on to
Le patient se retient à la rampe pour ne pas tomber.The patient holds on to the handrail so as not to fall.
b. to grab on to
Le randonneur a glissé et s'est retenu à des branchages.The hiker slipped and grabbed on to some branches.
a. to refrain from
Je me suis retenu de dire à mon chef ce que je pensais vraiment.I refrained from telling my boss what I really thought.
b. to stop oneself from
L'adolescente s’est retenue de faire une remarque désagréable à ses parents.The teenager stopped herself from making an unpleasant remark to her parents.
c. to hold back (followed by a noun phrase)
Lola s'est retenue de rire en voyant son frère danser.Lola held back her laughter when she saw her brother dancing.
3. (colloquial) (to resist the urge to use the toilet)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. to hold it (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
N'oublie pas de sortir le chien ce soir. Il ne sait pas encore se retenir !Don't forget to take the dog out tonight. He doesn't know how to hold it yet!
Conjugations
Participles
| Present: | |
|---|---|
Indicative of "se retenir"
Irregularities are in red
Present | Imperfect | Past Historic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | ||||
| tu | ||||
| il/elle | ||||
| nous | ||||
| vous | ||||
| ils/elles |
Collins French Verb Conjugation Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2023
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