The Difference Between Avere and Tenere

The Difference Between Avere and Tenere Learning a new language is not only tough because there are thousands of new words to learn, but even tougher because those words often overlap in meaning. This is definitely the case with the two verbs in Italian - â€Å"tenere - to hold, to keep† and â€Å"avere - to have, to obtain, to hold†. What are the main differences? First, tenere is often understood as to keep or to hold, like to keep a window open, keep a secret or hold a baby. Avere is to understood as meaning, to have, in the sense of possession, like age, fear, or an iPhone. Second, tenere is used, more often in the south, particularly in Naples, in the place of avere, but grammatically, its incorrect. Meaning, even if you hear Tengo 27 anni or Tengo fame, its not grammatically correct. Here are some situations where choosing between avere and tenere might be tricky. Physical Possession 1.) To have/keep an item Ho una mela, ma voglio mangiare un’arancia. - I have an apple, but I want to eat an orange.Non ho una borsa che si abbina a/con questo vestito. - I don’t have a purse that matches this dress.Ho il nuovo iPhone. - I have a new iPhone. In the situation above, you couldnt use tenere as a substitute for avere. Tengo questo iPhone fino alluscita di quello nuovo. - Im keeping this iPhone until the new one comes out. 2.) To not have any money Non ho una lira. - I dont have any money. Here, you can use tenere, but avere is still preferred. Non tengo una lira. - I dont have any money. Non avere/tenere una lira is an expression that literally means, I dont have one lira. To Maintain a Situation 1.) Keep/have a secret È un segreto che tengo per Silvia, quindi non posso dirtelo. - Its a secret that Im keeping for Silvia, so I cant tell it to you. However, if you have a secret and youre not keeping a secret for anybody, you can just use avere. Ho un segreto. Ho un amante! - I have a secret. I have a lover! 2.) Have/keep in pockets Ha le mani in tasca. - He has his hands in his pockets. In this situation, both avere and tenere can be used. Tiene le mani in tasca. - He has (keeps) his hands in his pockets. 3.) Have/keep In mind Ti spiegherà ² quello che ho in mente. - Ill explain to you what I have in mind. In this context, avere and tenere can both be used although the sentence structure will change. Tieni in mente quello che ti ho detto ieri. – Keep in mind what I told you yesterday. To Hold Something 1.) Hold/have a baby in your arms Tiene in braccio un bimbo. Il bebà © ha sei mesi. - She is holding a baby in her arm. The baby is six months. In this situation, you can use avere interchangeably. Ha in braccio un bimbo. Il bebà © ha sei mesi. - She is holding a baby in her arm. The baby is six months. 2.) Have a bouquet of flowers Perchà © hai un mazzo di fiori? Hai molti spasimanti? - Why do you have a bouquet of flowers? Do you have a lot of admirers?Non posso rispondere perchà ¨ ho un mazzo di fiori in mano. - I can’t answer the phone because I’m holding a bouquet of flowers. Then, the person youre talking to might respond to you using the verb tenere. Rispondi, che te lo tengo io. - Answer, and I’ll hold it for you. 3.) Hold a bouquet with style La sposa tiene il bouquet con classe. - The bride holds the bouquet in her hands with style. In the example above, tenere is used to stress the way she holds the bouquet. To help make this easier, use tenere whenever you have something that youre physically holding in mano - in your hands or in braccio - in your arms. It can also be used in figurative expressions, as you saw tenere in mente, but since we would be likely to translate that as keep in mind, its easier to distinguish from avere. Avere, on the other hand, is used to talk about something you possess, either literally or figuratively. If you find yourself in conversation, and you cant think of which one is right to use, its best to ask yourself what the simplest meaning is.  For example, instead of saying, He had a change of heart, you can say, He changed his mind or â€Å"Ha cambiato idea†.