Mantener is a Spanish verb meaning "to maintain," used to express the idea of keeping something in a certain state, supporting, or preserving it. It is essential for discussing maintenance, support, and continuity in both personal and professional contexts.
- Maintains, supports, or preserves something over time
- Used in contexts of physical upkeep, emotional support, financial sustainment, and more
- Often conjugated like tener but with a “mant-” stem (mantengo, mantienes...)
Conjugation
Mantener is a regular verb in most forms but follows the pattern of tener (with stem changes and irregular first person):
| Tense | Example (yo) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Present | mantengo | (mantener as tener: mantengo) |
| Preterite | mantuve | (stem: mantuv-) |
| Imperfect | mantenía | Regular -er/-ir pattern |
| Future | mantendré | Regular stem + endings |
| Conditional | mantendría | Regular stem + endings |
| Subjunctive | mantenga | (like tener: mantenga) |
Like Tener, mantener is 'mantengo' for 'yo' in present.
Usage
Mantener can be used in various contexts where something is being kept, sustained, or supported.
- Physical maintenance: Mantener la casa limpia. (Keep the house clean.)
- Emotional/relationship support: Ella mantiene a su familia unida. (She keeps her family together.)
- Financial support: Mis padres me mantienen en la universidad. (My parents support me financially at university.)
- Performance/standards: La empresa mantiene altos estándares. (The company maintains high standards.)
'Mantener' is not used for 'to eat food.' It covers maintenance and support.
Example Sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Mantengo mi coche en buen estado. | I maintain my car in good condition. |
| ¿Puedes mantener el secreto? | Can you keep the secret? |
| Ellos mantienen la planta funcionando. | They keep the plant running. |
| La escuela mantiene altos niveles de enseñanza. | The school maintains high levels of teaching. |
'Ellos mantienen el sistema' is correct for 'They maintain the system.'
Related Verbs
- Soportar: To bear, endure, tolerate
- Conservar: To conserve, preserve
- Sostener: To hold up, support (physically or metaphorically)
Mantener is a versatile verb for expressing maintenance, support, and preservation in many areas of life.
- Used for physical, emotional, financial, and operational contexts
- Conjugated similarly to tener with important stem changes
- Essential for anyone discussing continuity or upkeep in Spanish