No. 11,481 in French
retenant
"Retenant" means "retaining" or "holding back" in English.
In a sentence
En retenant la porte, il a permis à tout le monde d'entrer.
By holding the door, he allowed everyone to enter.
Here, 'retenant' is used as a present participle, indicating the action of holding the door performed by the subject.
Elle racontait l'histoire en retenant ses larmes.
She was telling the story while holding back her tears.
In this sentence, 'retenant' functions as a present participle, showing the simultaneity of the action of holding back tears with narrating the story.
Ils ont progressé en retenant leurs erreurs passées.
They progressed by keeping in mind their past mistakes.
The word 'retenant' here is a present participle and conveys the action of mentally retaining or remembering something in parallel with progression.
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