The translation of this mood into English depends upon the context, viz., whether we use the auxiliaries "should," "would," "were," "had," or simply the English past tense. It is frequently introduced by the conjunction se = if (see pars. [190]–194).
(Se) mi tenus = (If) I held, or, should hold, or, should be holding, or, were holding, or, were to hold, or, had held.
IMPERATIVE MOOD (OR "U" MOOD).
| Singular. | Mi tenu | = Let me hold. |
| Tenu | = Hold. | |
| Li, ŝi, ĝi, tenu | = Let him, her, it hold. | |
| Plural. | Ni tenu | = Let us hold. |
| Tenu | = Hold. | |
| Ili tenu | = Let them hold. |
| Sing. | (Ke) mi tenu | = (That) I | may, might, should hold. |
| (Ke) vi (or, ci) tenu | = (That) you (or, thou) | ||
| (Ke) li tenu | = (That) he | ||
| Plural. | (Ke) ni tenu | = (That) we | |
| (Ke) vi tenu | = (That) you (or, ye) | ||
| (Ke) ili tenu | = (That) they |
(See remarks on the Imperative mood, pars. [195]–202).
CONJUGATION OF THE COMPOUND FORMS OF ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICES.
169. The following shows the compound tenses in the active and passive voices, and the compound forms of the conditional and imperative moods:—For the three persons of the plural add J to the participle (see pars. [173], [174], [235], [236]).
| The Present in the | Present | Mi estas tenanta | = I am holding. |
| Mi estas tenata | = I am (being) held. | ||
| Past | Mi estis tenanta | = I was holding. | |
| Mi estis tenata | = I was (being) held. | ||
| Future | Mi estos tenanta | = I shall be holding. | |
| Mi estos tenata | = I shall be (being) held. |
| The Past in the | Present | Mi estas teninta | = I have held. |
| Mi estas tenita | = I have been, or, was held. | ||
| Past | Mi estis teninta | = I had held. | |
| Mi estis tenita | = I had been held, or, was held, ifthe action is completed. | ||
| Future | Mi estos teninta | = I shall have held. | |
| Mi estos tenita | = I shall have been held. |