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contener

to contain

verb kon-teh-NEHR Less Common

Also means

to hold back

Usage Note

Contener is conjugated exactly like tener (irregular): contengo, contienes, contiene… and preterite contuve, contuviste…. It is used for physical containment (el bote contiene agua) and emotional restraint (contenerse = to hold oneself back, to restrain oneself). The related noun is contenido (contents, content).

Examples

"La caja contiene varios documentos importantes."

Natural Translation

The box contains several important documents.

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