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Conjugation Chart of “Mantenerse” (to maintain oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense

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Understanding the Preterite (Past) Tense of “Mantenerse”

The preterite of mantenerse is used to express when someone maintained themselves in a certain state at a specific moment in the past. For example, when you want to say “He maintained his position despite the pressure” – “Se mantuvo en su posición a pesar de la presión.”

This is an irregular reflexive verb in the preterite tense. Like its root verb ‘tener’, it uses the stem ‘tuv-‘ throughout all conjugations, and you must include the appropriate reflexive pronouns.

How to Use Mantenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

The Preterite of mantenerse expresses completed periods of maintaining a state or position.

To maintain oneself/stay: Describes holding a position or state for a specific period, for example Me mantuve tranquilo durante la crisis (I kept myself calm during the crisis), or Se mantuvieron unidos hasta el final (They stayed united until the end).

To persist/persevere: Indicates maintaining a stance or condition, for example Se mantuvo firme en su decisión (She remained firm in her decision).

Real Life Examples of Mantenerse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Se mantuvo firme en su decisión. (He remained firm in his decision.)

Me mantuve en silencio durante la reunión. (I remained silent during the meeting.)

¿Te mantuviste despierto toda la noche? (Did you stay awake all night?)

Nos mantuvimos unidos en los momentos difíciles. (We stayed united in difficult times.)

Se mantuvieron en contacto después de graduarse. (They stayed in touch after graduating.)

El equipo se mantuvo invicto toda la temporada. (The team remained undefeated all season.)

Te mantuviste muy profesional en la situación. (You remained very professional in the situation.)

Me mantuve ocupado todo el día. (I stayed busy all day.)

Se mantuvieron tranquilos durante la crisis. (They remained calm during the crisis.)

Nos mantuvimos en silencio durante la película. (We remained quiet during the movie.)

El precio se mantuvo estable todo el año. (The price remained stable all year.)

¿Te mantuviste en forma durante la cuarentena? (Did you stay in shape during quarantine?)

Se mantuvo alejado del conflicto. (He stayed away from the conflict.)

Nos mantuvimos optimistas a pesar de todo. (We remained optimistic despite everything.)

Se mantuvieron fieles a sus principios. (They remained true to their principles.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Mantenerse (to maintain oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.