tensar

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from English tension, French tension, Italian tensione, Spanish tensión.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tenˈsar/

Verb

tensar (present tensas, past tensis, future tensos, conditional tensus, imperative tensez)

1. (transitive) to stretch: draw in length
2. (transitive) to strain, tense
3. (transitive) to cock (a gun)
4. (transitive) to wind up (a clock or a watch)

Conjugation

Conjugation of tensar

		present		past		future
infinitive		tensar		tensir		tensor
tense		tensas		tensis		tensos
conditional		tensus		—		—
imperative		tensez		—		—
adjective active participle		tensanta		tensinta		tensonta
adverbial active participle		tensante		tensinte		tensonte
nominal active participle	singular	tensanto		tensinto		tensonto
	plural	tensanti		tensinti		tensonti
adjective passive participle		tensata		tensita		tensota
adverbial passive participle		tensate		tensite		tensote
nominal passive participle	singular	tensato		tensito		tensoto
	plural	tensati		tensiti		tensoti

Derived terms

• tensanto (“one who stretches; tensor”)
• tensar su (“to strain, stiffen oneself”)
• tensata (“tense, strained”)
• tenseso (“stretching, strain, tension, tenseness”)
• tensilo (“stretching instrument; winder”)
• tensita (“tense, strained”)
• tenso (“stretching, strain, tension, tenseness”)

References

• Progreso IV (in Ido), 1911–1912, page 289, 466
• Progreso V (in Ido), 1912–1913, page 660

Spanish

Etymology

From tenso +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tenˈsaɾ/ [t̪ẽnˈsaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: ten‧sar

Verb

tensar (first-person singular present tenso, first-person singular preterite tensé, past participle tensado)

1. to tense

Conjugation

    Conjugation of tensar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			tensar
gerund			tensando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		tensado		tensada
		plural		tensados		tensadas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	tenso	tensastú tensásvos	tensa	tensamos	tensáis	tensan
	imperfect	tensaba	tensabas	tensaba	tensábamos	tensabais	tensaban
	preterite	tensé	tensaste	tensó	tensamos	tensasteis	tensaron
	future	tensaré	tensarás	tensará	tensaremos	tensaréis	tensarán
	conditional	tensaría	tensarías	tensaría	tensaríamos	tensaríais	tensarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	tense	tensestú tensésvos2	tense	tensemos	tenséis	tensen
	imperfect (ra)	tensara	tensaras	tensara	tensáramos	tensarais	tensaran
	imperfect (se)	tensase	tensases	tensase	tensásemos	tensaseis	tensasen
	future1	tensare	tensares	tensare	tensáremos	tensareis	tensaren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		tensatú tensávos	tense	tensemos	tensad	tensen
	negative		no tenses	no tense	no tensemos	no tenséis	no tensen

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of tensar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive tensar	dative	tensarme	tensarte	tensarle, tensarse	tensarnos	tensaros	tensarles, tensarse
	accusative	tensarme	tensarte	tensarlo, tensarla, tensarse	tensarnos	tensaros	tensarlos, tensarlas, tensarse
with gerund tensando	dative	tensándome	tensándote	tensándole, tensándose	tensándonos	tensándoos	tensándoles, tensándose
	accusative	tensándome	tensándote	tensándolo, tensándola, tensándose	tensándonos	tensándoos	tensándolos, tensándolas, tensándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative tensa	dative	ténsame	ténsate	ténsale	ténsanos	not used	ténsales
	accusative	ténsame	ténsate	ténsalo, ténsala	ténsanos	not used	ténsalos, ténsalas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative tensá	dative	tensame	tensate	tensale	tensanos	not used	tensales
	accusative	tensame	tensate	tensalo, tensala	tensanos	not used	tensalos, tensalas
with formal second-person singular imperative tense	dative	ténseme	not used	ténsele, ténsese	ténsenos	not used	ténseles
	accusative	ténseme	not used	ténselo, ténsela, ténsese	ténsenos	not used	ténselos, ténselas
with first-person plural imperative tensemos	dative	not used	tensémoste	tensémosle	tensémonos	tensémoos	tensémosles
	accusative	not used	tensémoste	tensémoslo, tensémosla	tensémonos	tensémoos	tensémoslos, tensémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative tensad	dative	tensadme	not used	tensadle	tensadnos	tensaos	tensadles
	accusative	tensadme	not used	tensadlo, tensadla	tensadnos	tensaos	tensadlos, tensadlas
with formal second-person plural imperative tensen	dative	ténsenme	not used	ténsenle	ténsennos	not used	ténsenles, ténsense
	accusative	ténsenme	not used	ténsenlo, ténsenla	ténsennos	not used	ténsenlos, ténsenlas, ténsense

Related terms

• destensar
• tenso
• tieso

Further reading

• “tensar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025