-er verb irregular · go-verb Advanced

retener — Preterite (Pretérito)

to retain, to hold back

The preterite conjugation of retener (irregular go-verb, ranked #2318). Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.

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Pronoun Preterite conjugation
yo retuve *
retuviste *
él/ella/Ud. retuvo *
nosotros retuvimos *
vosotros retuvisteis *
ellos/ellas/Uds. retuvieron *

* Red forms deviate from the regular -er preterite pattern.

Example sentence

Retuvo los documentos ilegalmente.

He retained the documents illegally.

Other tenses of retener

See full conjugation table for retener →

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