French Phrase
Tiens‑toi tranquille un instant.
Meaning
Literally, ‘Hold yourself calm for a moment.’ In everyday French it’s a polite but informal way to ask someone to stay still, be quiet, or wait briefly.
When to use
Use it when you need a short pause – for example, asking a child to stop moving, telling a friend to wait while you finish something, or calming someone down in a casual setting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tiens-toitranquilleuninstant.
Imperative reflexive (Tiens‑toi)
‘Tiens‑toi’ is the second‑person singular imperative of the reflexive verb *se tenir* meaning ‘to hold yourself’, used here to tell someone to stay in a certain state.
Adjective used adverbially (tranquille)
‘tranquille’ is normally an adjective (‘quiet, calm’) but in this construction it works like an adverb meaning ‘calmly, quietly’.
Time expression (un instant)
‘un instant’ literally means ‘one instant’; it functions like ‘for a moment’ in English and softens the request.
🗨In Conversation
Tiens‑toi tranquille un instant, s’il te plaît.
Stay still for a moment, please.
D’accord, je ne bouge pas.
Okay, I won’t move.
✕Common Mistakes
Tiens‑toi calme un instant.
‘Calme’ is an adjective; the idiomatic expression uses ‘tranquille’ as an adverbial adjective.
Tiens‑toi tranquillement un instant.
While grammatically correct, ‘tranquillement’ sounds overly formal for the casual tone of this phrase.
↔Alternatives
Reste calme un instant.
Stay calm for a moment.
Calme‑toi un moment.
Calm down for a moment.
Attends un instant.
Wait a moment.
Cultural Tip
‘Tiens‑toi tranquille’ is informal and most appropriate among friends, family, or in relaxed situations. In a formal context you’d prefer ‘Veuillez rester calme un instant’ or simply ‘Un instant, s’il vous plaît’. Also note that ‘tranquille’ can be used as a noun (e.g., ‘c’est tranquille’) but here it functions adverbially.