retenir

retenir

"Retenir" means "to hold back, retain, or remember."

In this sentence, 'retenir' conveys 'to restrain' or 'to suppress,' exemplifying the emotional action of controlling tears.

Elle n'a pas pu retenir ses larmes après avoir entendu la nouvelle.

She couldn't hold back her tears after hearing the news.

The word 'retenir' is used to mean 'to hold back' in the context of keeping one's breath intentionally.

J'ai dû retenir mon souffle avant de plonger dans l'eau.

I had to hold my breath before diving into the water.

Here, 'retenir' is used in the sense of 'to retain' or 'to memorize,' emphasizing the act of keeping information in memory.

Il est difficile de retenir toutes ces informations pour l'examen.

It's difficult to retain all this information for the exam.