retener Conditional Conjugation
retener — to keep
The conditional uses the irregular stem 'retendr-': retendría, retendrías, retendría.
retener Conditional Forms
When to Use the Conditional
Use this to express what you 'would' keep or hold under certain conditions.
Notes on retener in the Conditional
It uses the same 'd' stem as the future tense (retendr-).
Example Sentences
Yo retendría el coche si tuviera dinero.
I would keep the car if I had money.
yo
¿Retendrías a un empleado tan malo?
Would you retain such a bad employee?
tú
Ellos retendrían el paquete si se lo pidiéramos.
They would hold the package if we asked them.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'retenería'.
Correct: retendría
Why: The conditional shares the irregular 'd' stem with the future tense.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: retengo
In the present, retener changes 'e' to 'ie' in most forms and has a 'yo' form ending in -go.
Preterite
yo: retuve
The preterite of retener is highly irregular, using the 'uv' stem: retuve, retuviste, retuvo.
Imperfect
yo: retenía
The imperfect of retener is regular: retenía, retenías, retenía, reteníamos, reteníais, retenían.
Future
yo: retendré
The future of retener uses the irregular stem 'retendr-': retendré, retendrás, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: retenga
The present subjunctive of retener uses the stem 'reteng-' and is used for doubts or requests about keeping something.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: retuviera
The imperfect subjunctive of retener uses the irregular 'retuv-' stem: retuviera, retuvieras, retuviera.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: retén
The imperative for retener has a short 'tú' form: retén.
Negative Imperative
yo: no retengas
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms: no retengas, no retenga.