What does soutenir in French mean?

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

The word soutenir in French means hold up, prop up, support, hold, support, help, maintain, insist, help, support, support yourself, help one another, help each other, be valid, be maintained, be sustained, support, support, maintain, sustain, withstand, defend a thesis. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word soutenir

hold up, prop up

verbe transitif (fixer, retenir [qch])

Il faut des tuteurs pour soutenir mes pieds de tomates.
My tomato plants need stakes to hold them up.

support, hold

verbe transitif (empêcher de tomber)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Pour l'aider à marcher, je la soutiens par le bras.
I supported her by her arm to help her walk.

support, help

verbe transitif (figuré (inciter, stimuler)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Le gouvernement prend des mesures pour soutenir l'économie.
The government is taking steps to support the economy.

maintain, insist

verbe transitif (déclarer [qch])

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Je soutiens l'avoir vu avec elle. Le policier soutenait la thèse du suicide.
The police officer insisted on the suicide theory.

help, support

verbe transitif (aider)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Mon frère m'a soutenu dans mes difficultés.
My brother helped me through my problems.

support yourself

verbe pronominal (s'équilibrer)

(transitive verb and reflexive pronoun: Transitive verb with reflexive pronoun--for example, "Enjoy yourself." "They behaved themselves.")
Mon fils commence à nager, il se soutient tout seul.
My son is starting to swim; he's holding himself up without any help.

help one another, help each other

verbe pronominal (s'entraider)

(transitive verb and reflexive pronoun: Transitive verb with reflexive pronoun--for example, "Enjoy yourself." "They behaved themselves.")
Notre famille s'est toujours soutenue dans les moments difficiles.
In our family, we've always supported each other through difficult times.

be valid

verbe pronominal (être affirmé valablement)

C'est une idée non conventionnelle mais ça se soutient.
It's an unconventional idea, but it bears scrutiny.

be maintained, be sustained

verbe pronominal (rester stable) (suspense)

Le suspens de ce film se soutient du début à la fin.
The film's suspense is maintained from beginning to end.

support

verbe transitif (combattre en faveur de)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Cette association soutient les malades du sida.
This organization supports AIDS sufferers.

support, maintain

verbe transitif (aider un organe affaibli)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Il porte une pile pour soutenir son cœur.
He wears a pacemaker to keep his heart going.

sustain, withstand

verbe transitif (soutenu (supporter) (attack)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Ce régiment a soutenu l'assaut de l'ennemi durant une semaine.
The regiment withstood the enemy assault for a week.

defend a thesis

locution verbale (présenter un mémoire) (UK)

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

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So now that you know more about the meaning of soutenir 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.

Do you know about French

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.