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.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Mantenerse (to maintain oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | me mantuve |
| Tú | te mantuviste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | se mantuvo |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | nos mantuvimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | os mantuvisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | se mantuvieron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Mantenerse (to maintain oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of 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).
Examples
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.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Mantenerse (to maintain oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo me mantuve | I maintained myself |
| Tú te mantuviste | You maintained yourself |
| Él / Ella / Usted se mantuvo | He / She / You (formal) maintained themselves |
| Nosotros / Nosotras nos mantuvimos | We maintained ourselves |
| Vosotros / Vosotras os mantuvisteis | You all maintained yourselves |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes se mantuvieron | They / You all (formal) maintained themselves |
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.