34 TENER Various prefixes Flashcards
Although tener doesn’t have a cognate (an equivalent word with a common ancestor) in English, the verbs derived from it do,
and they are among the English verbs ending in “-tain.”
to abstain, to abstain.
abstener, abstenerse:
to contain
contener
The jug contains two liters
La jarra contiene dos litros.
to detain, to arrest, stop.
detener
The police arrested eleven people
La policía detuvo a once personas.
to distract, to entertain, to delay, to maintain.
entretener
She entertained herself by playing the piano
Se entretenía por tocar el piano.
to (physically) support, to sustain, to maintain, to remain or keep.
mantener
Prices remained stable
Los precios se mantuvieron estables.
Keep Spain clean
Mantenga limpia España
to get, to obtain
obtener
I got the actor’s signature
Obtuve la firma del actor
to retain, to hold back, to deduct, to keep.
to retain, to hold back, to deduct, to keep
I keep in my head every place I have seen.
Retengo en la cabeza todos los lugares que he visto.
