Informal French Expression
![]() |
|
Share / Tweet / Pin Me! |
Meaning | to cope, hold up, handle, survive; to stay the course, weather the storm | |
Literally | to hold the blow | |
Register | normal / informal | |
Pronunciation | ![]() |
[teu neer leu koo] |
IPA | [tə niʀ lə ku] |
Usage notes: The French expression tenir le coup is pretty straightforward. Literally, it means to cope with a physical blow.
Par exemple…
Comment est-ce que les boxeurs tiennent le coup ? | How do boxers cope with being hit? |
By extension and informally, tenir le coup means to hold up to an intangible blow, to cope with a psychological or emotional situation.
Je ne sais pas s’ils peuvent tenir le coup. | I don’t know if they can weather the storm. | |
Ils ont tenu le coup, et leur mariage s’en trouve mieux. | They survived, and their marriage is all the better for it. |
Tenir le coup isn’t limited to difficulties faced by people.
J’espère que son témoinage tiendra le coup. | I hope his testimony will hold up. | |
Penses-tu que l’économie tienne le coup ? | Do you think the economy will survive? |
Tenir le coup in action
Example of tenir in a real-life video from Lawless French Immersion:
On tient le coup, on reste debout. | We hold on, we stay on our feet. | |
Video: Les Enfoirés – Maintenant |
Somewhat synonymous
- endurer – to endure
- résister – to resist, overcome
- supporter – to endure, tolerate
- survivre – to survive
To survive a literal storm is essuyer une tempête.
Related lessons
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!