What does entretenir in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word entretenir in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use entretenir in French.

The word entretenir in French means maintain, keep going, have, maintain, keep, be maintained, talk to , talk with, have a talk, have a discussion, keep fit, support, maintain, keep, discuss with, maintain friendly relations, stay close to, keep the flame alive, commemorate, honour 's memory, honour the memory of, maintain the suspense, take care of one's health, watch one's health, maintain a customer network, maintain a client network, run a car, low-maintenance, be supported. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word entretenir

maintain

verbe transitif (maintenir en état)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Le bon ouvrier entretient son matériel.
A good workman maintains his equipment.

keep going

verbe transitif (faire durer)

Avant les foyers fermés, il fallait entretenir le feu toute la nuit. J'essaie d'entretenir mon anglais en regardant des séries en anglais.
I try to keep up my English by watching TV shows in English.

have, maintain, keep

verbe transitif (posséder, détenir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Jules entretient de très bonnes relations avec la direction.
Jules enjoys excellent relations with senior management.

be maintained

verbe pronominal (se préserver)

Les outils s'entretiennent en les nettoyant après chaque usage.
Tools are maintained by cleaning them after every use.

talk to , talk with

(discuter avec [qqn])

Le directeur s'est longtemps entretenu avec la mère du garçon turbulent.
The head teacher spent a long time talking with the mother of the disruptive boy.

have a talk, have a discussion

verbe pronominal (discuter de [qch] ensemble)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les ministres se sont entretenus du cas de ce sénateur.
The ministers had a discussion about the business involving the senator.

keep fit

verbe pronominal (se garder en forme physique)

Elle s'entretient en faisant du vélo tous les dimanches.
She keeps fit by going for a bike ride every Sunday.

support, maintain

verbe transitif (pourvoir aux besoins)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Charlotte et Charles entretiennent une famille de 5 enfants.
Charlotte and Charles are supporting a family of five children.

keep

verbe transitif (pourvoir aux besoins d'un amant ou d'une maîtresse) (lover)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
On dit que monsieur le Comte entretient une maîtresse dans son château en Normandie. Il est notoire que madame la Duchesse entretient plusieurs amants.
They say that His Lordship the Count keeps a mistress at his chateau in Normandy. It is well known that Her Ladyship the Duchess keeps several lovers.

discuss with

(soutenu (discuter de [qch] avec [qqn])

Il m'a entretenu de ses problèmes de santé.
He discussed his health problems with me.

maintain friendly relations

locution verbale (s'entendre d'une façon cordiale)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

stay close to

(très bien s'entendre avec [qqn])

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

keep the flame alive

locution verbale (figuré (maintenir une motivation) (figurative)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

commemorate

(commémorer)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

honour 's memory, honour the memory of

(garder la mémoire de [qqn]) (UK)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

maintain the suspense

locution verbale (ne pas donner le dénouement trop tôt)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

take care of one's health, watch one's health

locution verbale (prendre soin de son organisme)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

maintain a customer network, maintain a client network

locution verbale (garder un lien avec ses clients)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

run a car

locution verbale (maintenir une voiture en état correct)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

low-maintenance

locution adjectivale (d'entretien aisé)

(noun as adjective: Describes another noun--for example, "boat race," "dogfood.")

be supported

(péjoratif (vivre aux crochets de [qqn])

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of entretenir in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.