Retener Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Retener means “to retain, to hold back”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Retener means to retain or to hold back, and it is used for retaining information, holding back tears and keeping someone in a place. It follows the pattern of tener, with the present retengo, the preterite retuve and the future retendré. This page shows retener in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo retengo la información del libro.” — I retain the information in the book.
Retener in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how retener is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use retener in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Retengo la información del libro.” — I retain the information in the book.
“¿Tú retienes las lágrimas en la reunión?” — Do you retain my tears in the meeting?
“Retiene a los alumnos después de clase.” — He/she retains the pupils after class.
“Retenemos el dinero del depósito.” — We retain the deposit money.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show retener in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo retuve la información del libro.” — Yesterday, I retained the information in the book. (preterite)
“Él retenía las lágrimas en la reunión todos los días.” — He used to retain my tears in the meeting every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of retener stays the same.
“Nosotros retendremos a los alumnos después de clase mañana.” — We will retain the pupils after class tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has retenido el dinero del depósito?” — Have you retained the deposit money? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Retenéis la información del libro.” — You retain the information in the book.
“Retienen las lágrimas en la reunión.” — They retain my tears in the meeting.
“Retengo a los alumnos después de clase.” — I retain the pupils after class.
“Retiene el dinero del depósito.” — He/she retains the deposit money.
Retener in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how retener appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú retienes la información del libro?” — Do you retain the information in the book?
Carlos: “Sí, yo retengo la información del libro.” — Yes, I retain the information in the book.
Lucía: “Nosotros retenemos las lágrimas en la reunión.” — We retain my tears in the meeting.
Carlos: “Y ellos retienen a los alumnos después de clase.” — And they retain the pupils after class.
Lucía: “Vosotros retenéis el dinero del depósito.” — You retain the deposit money.
Carlos: “Sí, y él retiene las lágrimas en la reunión.” — Yes, and he retains my tears in the meeting.
A short paragraph
Lucía retiene la información del libro, y Carlos retiene las lágrimas en la reunión. Nosotros retenemos a los alumnos después de clase, y ellos retienen el dinero del depósito. Yo retengo a los alumnos después de clase, y mi padre retiene el dinero del depósito. Retener is part of everyday life, because to retain, to hold back is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with retener
These are the errors learners actually make with retener. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo retiene la información del libro.” Right: “Yo retengo la información del libro.” Why: The person matters: retiene is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is retengo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Yo reteno las lágrimas en la reunión.” Right: “Yo retengo las lágrimas en la reunión.” Why: Retener is a stem-changing verb (e → ie), so the stem changes in the present singular and third-person plural. The nosotros form keeps the original stem.
Wrong: “Treating retener and guardar as identical in every context.” Right: “Retener means to retain, to hold back, while guardar means to keep.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: retener fits sentences such as Retengo la información del libro, while guardar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy retenido las lágrimas en la reunión.” Right: “Yo he retenido las lágrimas en la reunión.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he retenido, has retenido, ha retenido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo retuve a los alumnos después de clase todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo retenía a los alumnos después de clase todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (retenía), not the preterite. The preterite (retuve) is for one finished action.
Quiz: retener in use
Ten questions on retener in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ la información del libro.” (The information in the book.)
- (a) retenéis
- (b) retengo
- (c) retienes
Answer: retenéis — The vosotros/as form of retener in the present is retenéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ las lágrimas en la reunión.” (My tears in the meeting.)
- (a) retengo
- (b) retienes
- (c) retienen
Answer: retienen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of retener in the present is retienen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ la información del libro.” (The information in the book.)
- (a) retuvo
- (b) retuve
- (c) retuviste
Answer: retuve — The yo form of retener in the preterite is retuve.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ las lágrimas en la reunión.” (My tears in the meeting.)
- (a) retenía
- (b) retenías
- (c) reteníamos
Answer: retenía — The él/ella/Ud. form of retener in the imperfect is retenía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ a los alumnos después de clase.” (The pupils after class.)
- (a) retendré
- (b) retendrás
- (c) retendremos
Answer: retendremos — The nosotros/as form of retener in the future is retendremos.
6. What does retener mean in English?
- (a) to entertain
- (b) to retain, to hold back
- (c) to keep
Answer: to retain, to hold back — Retener means “to retain, to hold back”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo retengo la información del libro.
- (b) Ellos retiene la información del libro.
- (c) Yo retengo las lágrimas en la reunión ayer.
Answer: Yo retengo la información del libro. — “Yo retengo la información del libro.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I retain the information in the book.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo retienen la información del libro.
- (b) Yo retuve la información del libro.
- (c) Yo retengo la información del libro.
Answer: Yo retengo la información del libro. — “Yo retengo la información del libro.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of retener in the present tense?
- (a) retienes
- (b) retenemos
- (c) retengo
Answer: retenemos — The nosotros form is retenemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo retuve la información del libro.
- (b) Nosotros retendremos la información del libro mañana.
- (c) Yo retengo la información del libro.
Answer: Yo retengo la información del libro. — “Yo retengo la información del libro.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I retain' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo retengo la información del libro'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo retengo la información del libro todos los días'.
How do you say 'I retain' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo retuve las lágrimas en la reunión'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo retenía las lágrimas en la reunión todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he retenido las lágrimas en la reunión'.
What is the difference between retener and guardar?
Retener means to retain, to hold back, while guardar means to keep. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use retener when you mean to retain, to hold back, as in Retengo la información del libro.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of retener — every tense of retener in one place.
- Retener in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on retener and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of retener until they are automatic.