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Conjugation Chart of “Retener” (to retain) in the Imperfect Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | retenía |
| Tú | retenías |
| Él / Ella / Usted | retenía |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | reteníamos |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | retenían |
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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Retener”
The Imperfect Tense of retener is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example: Yo retenía la información para el examen. (I was retaining the information for the exam.)
This verb follows the standard conjugation pattern for verbs ending in -er in the Imperfect Tense, using the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -ían.
How to Use Retener in the Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense of retener is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
Retaining or keeping something: Por ejemplo, retenía la información para el examen. (I was retaining the information for the exam.)
Withholding or holding back: Por ejemplo, el gobierno retenía los fondos. (The government was withholding the funds.)
Remembering or recalling: Por ejemplo, no retenía los nombres de mis compañeros. (I couldn’t remember my classmates’ names.)
Slowing down or delaying: Por ejemplo, el tráfico retenía mi llegada al trabajo. (The traffic was delaying my arrival at work.)
Colloquial usage: Por ejemplo, ¿Retenías el chisme o qué? (Were you holding back the gossip or what?)
Real Life Examples of Retener in the Imperfect Tense
Yo retenía la información de la clase con dificultad. (I had trouble retaining the information from the class.)
Ella retenía las lágrimas mientras escuchaba la triste noticia. (She was holding back tears while listening to the sad news.)
El gobierno retenía los impuestos de nuestros salarios cada mes. (The government withheld taxes from our salaries each month.)
La esponja retenía mucha agua después de lavar los platos. (The sponge retained a lot of water after washing the dishes.)
Mi amigo retenía la respiración cada vez que pasaba un avión. (My friend held his breath every time a plane flew by.)
La policía retenía a los sospechosos para interrogarlos. (The police detained the suspects for questioning.)
El filtro retenía las partículas dañinas del aire. (The filter retained the harmful particles from the air.)
La tela retenía el calor corporal durante el frío invierno. (The fabric retained body heat during the cold winter.)
Ellos retenían la información confidencial de la empresa. (They withheld the company’s confidential information.)
La presa retenía el agua del río para el riego agrícola. (The dam retained the river water for agricultural irrigation.)
Tú retenías los detalles del plan con mucho cuidado. (You carefully retained the details of the plan.)
La memoria retenía los recuerdos de mi infancia. (My memory retained the memories of my childhood.)
Ella retenía la ira para no empeorar la situación. (She held back her anger to avoid making the situation worse.)
El equipo retenía la posesión del balón durante largos períodos. (The team retained possession of the ball for long periods.)
Conjugation Chart with English Translations
Conjugations of Retener (to retain) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo retenía | I was retaining |
| Tú retenías | You were retaining |
| Él / Ella / Usted retenía | He / She / You was retaining |
| Nosotros / Nosotras reteníamos | We were retaining |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes retenían | They / You all were retaining |
This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.