¡Hola, amigos! In Spanish, many verbs are formed by adding a prefix to tener. In this post, we’ll learn them in a snap. Here’s the list:
| # | VERB | MEANING |
| 1 | Contener | To contain, to hold inside |
| 2 | Detener | To stop, to halt |
| 3 | Mantener | To maintain, to keep |
| 4 | Obtener | To obtain, to get |
| 5 | Retener | To retain, to hold back |
| 6 | Sostener | To support, to hold up |
EXAMPLES
1. Contener: to contain, to hold inside
Example: El frasco contiene miel.
The jar contains honey.
2. Detener: to stop, to halt
Example: La policía detiene al ladrón.
The police stop the thief.
3. Mantener: to maintain, to keep
Example: Ella mantiene la casa limpia.
She keeps the house clean.
4. Obtener: to obtain, to get
Example: Él obtuvo un premio.
He obtained a prize.
5. Retener: to retain, to hold back
Example: Retienen la información.
They retain the information.
6. Sostener: to support, to hold up
Example: Sostengo la caja con cuidado.
I hold the box carefully.
What’s great is that all these verbs share the same irregularities as tener, so you don’t need to learn each one separately. Let’s take contener as an example.
| PERSON | PRESENT | PAST |
| YO | CONTENGO | CONTUVE |
| TÚ | CONTIENES | CONTUVISTE |
| USTED/ÉL/ELLA | CONTIENE | CONTUVO |
| NOSOTROS(AS) | CONTENEMOS | CONTUVIMOS |
| VOSOTROS(AS) | CONTENÉIS | CONTUVISTEIS |
| USTEDES/ELLOS/ELLAS | CONTIENEN | CONTUVIERON |
