1. Home>
  2. verbs>
  3. retener

How to conjugate Retener in Spanish

To hold back, to withhold Irregular Verb

Introduction

Retener is the Spanish verb for "to hold back, to withhold". It is an irregular verb. Read on below to see how it is conjugated in the 18 major Spanish tenses!

ItemSpanishEnglish
Infinitiveretenerto hold back, to withhold
Past participleretenidoheld back
Gerundreteniendoholding back

Want a better way to learn conjugations?

Download free
Rated 98% based on 9228+ ratings

Indicative Tenses of Retener

Retener in the Indicative Present

The Indicative Present of retener is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, "retengo", meaning "I hold back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoretengo I hold back
retienes you hold back
Ella / Él / Ustedretiene s/he holds back, you (formal) hold back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretenemoswe hold back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretenéisyou (plural) hold back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretienen they hold back, you (plural formal) hold back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Preterite

The Indicative Preterite of retener is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, "retuve", meaning "I held back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoretuve I held back
retuviste you held back
Ella / Él / Ustedretuvo s/he held back, you (formal) held back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretuvimos we held back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretuvisteis you (plural) held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretuvieron they held back, you (plural formal) held back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Imperfect

The Indicative Imperfect of retener is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, "retenía", meaning "I used to hold back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoreteníaI used to hold back
reteníasyou used to hold back
Ella / Él / Ustedretenías/he used to hold back, you (formal) used to hold back
Nosotras / Nosotrosreteníamoswe used to hold back
Vosotras / Vosotrosreteníaisyou (plural) used to hold back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesreteníanthey used to hold back, you (plural formal) used to hold back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Present Continuous

The Indicative Present Continuous of retener is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, "estoy reteniendo", meaning "I am holding back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoestoy reteniendoI am holding back
estás reteniendoyou are holding back
Ella / Él / Ustedestá reteniendos/he is holding back, you (formal) are holding back
Nosotras / Nosotrosestamos reteniendowe are holding back
Vosotras / Vosotrosestáis reteniendoyou (plural) are holding back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesestán reteniendothey are holding back, you (plural formal) are holding back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Informal Future

The Indicative Informal Future of retener is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, "voy a retener", meaning "I am going to hold back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yovoy a retenerI am going to hold back
vas a reteneryou are going to hold back
Ella / Él / Ustedva a reteners/he is going to hold back, you (formal) are going to hold back
Nosotras / Nosotrosvamos a retenerwe are going to hold back
Vosotras / Vosotrosvais a reteneryou (plural) are going to hold back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesvan a retenerthey are going to hold back, you (plural formal) are going to hold back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Future

The Indicative Future of retener is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, "retendré", meaning "I will hold back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoretendré I will hold back
retendrás you will hold back
Ella / Él / Ustedretendrá s/he will hold back, you (formal) will hold back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretendremos we will hold back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretendréis you (plural) will hold back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretendrán they will hold back, you (plural formal) will hold back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Conditional

The Indicative Conditional of retener is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, "retendría", meaning "I would hold back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoretendría I would hold back
retendrías you would hold back
Ella / Él / Ustedretendría s/he would hold back, you (formal) would hold back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretendríamos we would hold back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretendríais you (plural) would hold back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretendrían they would hold back, you (plural formal) would hold back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Present Perfect

The Indicative Present Perfect of retener is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, "he retenido", meaning "I have held back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohe retenidoI have held back
has retenidoyou have held back
Ella / Él / Ustedha retenidos/he has held back, you (formal) have held back
Nosotras / Nosotroshemos retenidowe have held back
Vosotras / Vosotroshabéis retenidoyou (plural) have held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshan retenidothey have held back, you (plural formal) have held back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Past Perfect

The Indicative Past Perfect of retener is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, "había retenido", meaning "I had held back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabía retenidoI had held back
habías retenidoyou had held back
Ella / Él / Ustedhabía retenidos/he had held back, you (formal) had held back
Nosotras / Nosotroshabíamos retenidowe had held back
Vosotras / Vosotroshabíais retenidoyou (plural) had held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabían retenidothey had held back, you (plural formal) had held back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Future Perfect

The Indicative Future Perfect of retener is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, "habré retenido", meaning "I will have held back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabré retenidoI will have held back
habrás retenidoyou will have held back
Ella / Él / Ustedhabrá retenidos/he will have held back, you (formal) will have held back
Nosotras / Nosotroshabremos retenidowe will have held back
Vosotras / Vosotroshabréis retenidoyou (plural) will have held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrán retenidothey will have held back, you (plural formal) will have held back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Indicative Conditional Perfect of retener is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, "habría retenido", meaning "I would have held back".

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabría retenidoI would have held back
habrías retenidoyou would have held back
Ella / Él / Ustedhabría retenidos/he would have held back, you (formal) would have held back
Nosotras / Nosotroshabríamos retenidowe would have held back
Vosotras / Vosotroshabríais retenidoyou (plural) would have held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrían retenidothey would have held back, you (plural formal) would have held back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Want a better way to learn conjugations?

Download free
Rated 98% based on 9228+ ratings

Subjunctive Tenses of Retener

Retener in the Subjunctive Present

The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, "retenga", meaning "I hold back".

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoretenga I hold back
retengas you hold back
Ella / Él / Ustedretenga s/he holds back, you (formal) hold back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretengamos we hold back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretengáis you (plural) hold back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretengan they hold back, you (plural formal) hold back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Subjunctive Imperfect

The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, "retuviera", meaning "I held back".

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoretuviera I held back
retuvieras you held back
Ella / Él / Ustedretuviera s/he held back, you (formal) held back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretuviéramos we held back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretuvierais you (plural) held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretuvieran they held back, you (plural formal) held back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Subjunctive Future

The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, "retuviere", meaning "I will hold back".

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoretuviere I will hold back
retuvieres you will hold back
Ella / Él / Ustedretuviere s/he will hold back, you (formal) will hold back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretuviéremos we will hold back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretuviereis you (plural) will hold back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretuvieren they will hold back, you (plural formal) will hold back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Subjunctive Present Perfect

The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, "haya retenido", meaning "I have held back".

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohaya retenidoI have held back
hayas retenidoyou have held back
Ella / Él / Ustedhaya retenidos/he has held back, you (formal) have held back
Nosotras / Nosotroshayamos retenidowe have held back
Vosotras / Vosotroshayáis retenidoyou (plural) have held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshayan retenidothey have held back, you (plural formal) have held back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Subjunctive Past Perfect

The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, "hubiera retenido", meaning "I had held back".

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiera retenidoI had held back
hubieras retenidoyou had held back
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiera retenidos/he had held back, you (formal) had held back
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéramos retenidowe had held back
Vosotras / Vosotroshubierais retenidoyou (plural) had held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieran retenidothey had held back, you (plural formal) had held back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Subjunctive Future Perfect

The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, "hubiere retenido", meaning "I will have held back".

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiere retenidoI will have held back
hubieres retenidoyou will have held back
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiere retenidos/he will have held back, you (formal) will have held back
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéremos retenidowe will have held back
Vosotras / Vosotroshubiereis retenidoyou (plural) will have held back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieren retenidothey will have held back, you (plural formal) will have held back

Or use our app:


Back to top

Want a better way to learn conjugations?

Download free
Rated 98% based on 9228+ ratings

Imperative Tenses of Retener

Retener in the Imperative Affirmative

The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, "retenga", meaning "(to you formal) hold! back".

In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
retén (to you) hold! back
Ella / Él / Ustedretenga (to you formal) hold! back
Nosotras / Nosotrosretengamos let's hold! back
Vosotras / Vosotrosretened(to you plural) hold! back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesretengan (to you plural formal) hold! back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Retener in the Imperative Negative

The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, "no retenga", meaning "(to you formal) don't hold! back".

In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
no retengas (to you) don't hold! back
Ella / Él / Ustedno retenga (to you formal) don't hold! back
Nosotras / Nosotrosno retengamos let's not hold! back
Vosotras / Vosotrosno retengáis (to you plural) don't hold! back
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesno retengan (to you plural formal) don't hold! back

The red dot () above denotes an irregular conjugation.

Or use our app:


Back to top

Downloadable cheat sheets

Download and print a cheat sheet of Retener Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:

Download image
retener conjugation in Spanish
Back to top

Practice Retener conjugations (free mobile & web app)

Get full conjugation tables for Retener and 2,100+ other verbs on-the-go with Ella Verbs for iOS, Android, and web.

We also guide you through learning all Spanish tenses and test your knowledge with conjugation quizzes. Download it for free!

verb-library.png conjugation-empezar-1.png
Rated 98% based on 9228+ ratings

Back to top

About Ella Verbs

👋 Hola! We built Ella Verbs to help people (and ourselves!) master one of the hardest parts of Spanish – verb conjugation. It guides you through learning all tenses in an easy-to-follow way, giving you levels of bite-sized lessons and fun quizzes. Here is a 6 minute overview of all of the app's features:

It has changed a lot over the 6+ years we have been working on it, but the goal remains the same – to help you master Spanish conjugation! You can download and try it for free, and, if you do, please send any and all feedback our way!

- Jane & Brian

Rated 98% based on 9228+ ratings

Back to top

Want to explore other verb conjugations?

Why not check out Resultar – to become, to turn out, to work or see the complete list of verbs here.


Back to top
Logo

Download for free now

Join 100,000+ others and master your Spanish conjugation with the top-rated verb app, Ella Verbs

Rated 98% based on 9228+ ratings

Great program that has and is helping me immensely. Four years [studying Spanish] and after just a couple of days with this app I finally am 'getting' the verb thing into my head. After the first couple of lessons I finally feel comfortable conversing with the natives here in Panama. I still have a long way to go but this application was the key for me. Thank you!

Google Play Store